Chapter 38: (Self Edited) Royalty Negotiation

“…” (Yuri)‘What the heck is this? I feel like my hair has become white. I feel like my body is becoming like a burning cinder.’

“Oi, you…” (Yuri)

I didn’t want to use polite words.

“Uhihi.” (Piña)

‘What are you laughing joyfully about? Is this girl a devil?’

“You… who gave you permission to do this…” (Yuri)

“That was why I told you not to let him read it.” (Komimi)

“It-it’s fine.” (Piña)

‘These girls…’

“It’s not fine, alright. What would you do if you can’t sleep at night.” (Komimi)

‘What a horrible delusion. Homo-Dolla has been watching me all night next to my bed. And with colored eyes. Just the thought makes me goosebumps.’

“Didn’t you say that this is the 18th chapter? So, you have written 17 chapters already?” (Yuri)

“Yeah.” (Piña)

‘I’m scared. This 18th chapter has a fair amount of writing. It should be the same as for the previous 17 chapters. ’

‘What is she thinking about? Is she crazy?’

“You may be mistaken, but the Silver Birch Dormitory consists of a group of sensible students. Creative work is a reflection of  fiction.” (Komimi)

“There’s no way it should be like that. Whether it’s something different, it’s like you’re sleep talking.” (Yuri)

When I got angry in that way…

“He’s Ore-sama…” (Piña)

“Yeah…” (Komimi)

The two were trying to say something. They seemed to be angry as well.

“If you’re a twenty-year-old resident, you’ll be able to distinguish things, but I’m seeing a brat with strange thoughts.” (Yuri)

“That is…” (Komimi) Sᴇaʀᴄh thᴇ NʘvᴇlFire.nᴇt website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of nøvels early and in the highest quality.

Komimi tried to deny that, but she was somewhat less confident.

“…not it. However, speaking of strange rumors, it was from the Senpais.” (Komimi)

‘That’s the problem.’

“You’re angry after all.” (Piña)

Piña murmured that.

“Grr…” (Yuri)

‘Be patient. I can’t. What did I come here today?’

“…Ugh.” (Yuri)

‘Cool. Be cool.

‘If you think about it, this has nothing to do with me, and it’s something idiots are doing. It’s none of my business. In short, these people are similar to the ones with full of delusions. Will it be good to let them be deluded on their own?’

‘Oh yeah. I’m here to talk about making money. That’s it.’

‘Can you turn pride into money? Rather, if I ask her to stop writing, will she stop?’

‘I don’t think so. If that’s the case, since I’m going to suffer mental damage anyway, it’s better to make money from it.’

*Knock, knock*

The door was knocked.

“Come in.” (Komimi)

She said it without permission. The tea came at the right time.

‘Let’s take a break and calm down.’

When the confectionery and tea were arranged, the waitress went out without stopping.

There was warm barley tea and cut cheese in front of me. My stomach was so upset that I didn’t want to put the cheese in my stomach.

“Let’s dig in.” (Piña)

Piña began to munch the cake.

‘Th-this girl… She does things at her own pace.’

“So, if you didn’t come to get angry about this, what did you need?” (Komimi)

“…Hmmph. There, there. Let’s calm down.” (Yuri)

‘I’ve already forgotten about that. Let’s move on to work.’

“I’m about to publish a book, and I’ve been thinking that your work is the best thing to do for it.” (Yuri)

“Book…?” (Piña)

Piña and Komimi looked at each other.

“I’m making something like this now.” (Yuri)

I gave them a piece of plant-based paper.

“Aah, it’s Hou paper.” (Komimi)

“What is this?” (Piña)

Komimi seemed to know.

‘It seems to have been quite well known.’

‘Hou’s paper is the name I put when selling the plant-based paper. Since Cuffe is selling it by that name, it might have been informed from the retails.’

“I want to make a book like this. You should be able to do it for about half the price of a parchment book. There are many people are going to buy it, right?” (Yuri)

“It’s not good.” (Piña)

It wasn’t so.

‘No good, is it?’

“What did you think about what you read earlier? You thought that it was disgusting, right? That’s the whole reason.” (Piña)

‘The whole reason, huh…’

“To be honest, I didn’t feel good. But, is it a problem to make a lot and spread it to your family?” (Yuri)

“No, it’s not. Apart from being seen at home, it only hurts this girl’s pride.” (Komimi)

‘It seems to be different. Lily-san said that duplication is being done internally.’

“She showed you a while ago because you were the subject. Because Piña was feeling guilty. That’s also an exception.” (Komimi)

‘Did Piña  feel guilty?’

‘She is eating the confectionary while drinking a cup of tea mixed with milk. She doesn’t look someone who feels guilty…’

“We hate it so much if it’s leaking to the outside. It’s because it hurts the pride of the Silver Birch Dormitory. That’s why we didn’t ask copywriter from outside. To do copywriting, you need to read that book more carefully than anyone else, and you can’t stop people from talking about it, right?” (Komimi)

‘Aah, is that so? Lily-san said that too. It’s a big problem to let the copywriting bookstore to do it.’

‘Do you think they’re going to put it in a copywriting bookstore? The problem is that the bookstore will read it at that time. And… Apparently, the focus of the problem seems to be there.’

“I’m not going to publish it through the copywriting bookstore. I’m going to use a new technology that’s not handwritten.” (Yuri)

“If it’s not copywriting, how do you make a copy?” (Komimi)

“I’ve already applied for a patent, so let’s talk about the technology. It’s called mimeographed printing.” (Yuri)

“What is that?” (Komimi)

“First, I make ink-free paper. The paper is put on a file. Then, the paper is shaved with an iron brush, and a hole is made in the shape of the character. When all the characters are in shape, apply ink from the top. Then, only the holes made on the paper become the calculation that ink passes. Only when the ink passes through, the ink gets on the paper. If the paper can be used 100 times, if you write once with an iron brush, you can duplicate it a hundred times, so the efficiency will be 100 times. It’s not like it can’t be manufactured it in the Silver Birch Dormitory.” (Yuri)

“Hmm… Are you sure you can do this? There’s no point in a letter that doesn’t get ink through the hole and is so swollen that it can’t be read.” (Komimi)

“I don’t have that printing yet, but I’m making it little by little.” (Yuri)

“What? You still don’t have it?” (Komimi)

‘Yes. It’s embarrassing. It is not possible to do anything yet.’

“Even if I make the tool, we cannot proceed with development based on the establishment of negotiations. So, I have another plan. If Piña doesn’t like this, I’ll give up on this and move on.” (Yuri)

“Another plan? What is it?” (Komimi)

“I can’t go into details, but there are other books in high demand. If you sell that, you’ll use a completely different invention, so you can’t offer both of them after you’ve completed the copy version first. If you use the mimeograph, you need to attach the agreement first.” (Yuri)

“Why did we discuss that plan first? Is it because we’re going to make profit?” (Komimi)

“It’s just that the development cost is twice as much as the mimeographed version. I’d like to start here if I can.” (Yuri)

‘Recently, I think how good it would be if there is a bank that could lend money to companies with limited liability. There is no such thing in this country.’

‘There are only dealers that deal unscrupulous loan sharks which involved the Witches household. If I borrow money from them, it would become a problem later, and my household will also get in trouble.’

“Hmm, you’ve been thinking a lot.” (Komimi)

“Well, yeah.” (Yuri)

“If the duplication work is so simple, I’ll do it. Anyhow, Piña’s manuscript has to written cleanly.” (Komimi)

‘As I expected, they only have to write cleanly once, right? The manuscript of Piña read a little while ago was erased by a double line in some places, and the line was scattered. So, the appearance isn’t good.’

“Got it. Next is the bookbinding. You don’t have to do the copywriting, but it is necessary to do the bookbinding.” (Yuri)

‘If you make one piece of paper with an iron brush, you can replicate it a hundred times from there. It’s good, but it doesn’t mean that the bookbinding labor will be one percent.’

‘This becomes a great labor to bookbinding as many as 100 books. It would be practically impossible for Komimi to do so in her spare time during the course of study.’

“I don’t mind if I do the bookbinding.” (Komimi)

“Are you sure?” (Yuri)

‘I didn’t expect that. It seems she’s obsessed with it.’

“The copywriting needs to be done by someone who can read characters, don’t they? Bookbinding can be done by illiterate.” (Komimi)

‘This isn’t a story to figure out the agreement anymore.’

“Well then, I guess you should gather only those who can’t read characters.” (Yuri)

“Yes.” (Komimi)

“But, how are you going to do it? You have no choice but to put it in a bookbinding store, right?” (Yuri)

‘Could it be done in the form of a paperback-like in the Edo period, or is it distributed only in a bundle with a string?’

“That’s why I’m not going to put it in the bookbinding store. The bookbinding tools are available in the Silver Birch Dormitory.” (Komimi)

‘Oi, oi, are you for real? Is it a self-made tool?’

“I’m writing Piña’s book, but the bookbinding is surprisingly simple. It’s just going to take a lot of time.” (Komimi)

“Somehow, this sounds amazing.” (Yuri)

“You don’t seem to have any knowledge of bookbinding, so you should talk to the craftsmen. I’ve been given a page of paper many times, so it’s troubling if I can’t make a book.” (Komimi)

“Hmm? What do you mean?” (Yuri)

“You know, the bookbinding is to gather the big paper, fold it, cut into smaller pieces like a booklet, and then put it on top of it. In other words, the original paper is eight times the length of one page. So, when you want to copy a manuscript, copy the eight pages on a large paper in advance, sixteen pages on both sides. If you don’t think that the top and bottom of the page are already woven, the top and bottom of the page will be reversed.” (Komimi)

‘Oh, I’ve heard of it. It’s such a lot of trouble, I’m sure.’

“Well, I don’t understand much, but there’s also the convenience of the equipment or the size of the original paper on the Hou paper. You can’t print on very large paper, or you can only fold four sheets of paper because the size of the Hou paper is not enough. It’s good if the labor done is the same, but I have a close meeting with the bookbinder, so it’ll troubling if you don’t know the procedures.” (Komimi)

“I understand. Let’s conclude it right here.” (Yuri)

“And…” (Komimi)

“Before that, let’s talk about publishing. It’s fine if you let me publish the book, right?” (Yuri)

I looked at Piña and asked that.

“Piña.” (Komimi)

Komimi called her out.

“…I don’t get it, but I’m fine.” (Piña)

‘You don’t get it huh? Well, it’s fine.’

“It’s decided. Well, let’s talk about royalties.” (Yuri)

“…Royalties?” (Komimi)

“It’s Piña’s share of the amount of money made when the book is sold.” (Yuri)

“…Are you going to give me money?” (Piña)

“Yes. Komimi will get it too.” (Yuri)

“Me too?” (Komimi)

“I’ll take care of the mimeograph and the ink. So, it’s unlimited use. In addition to that, I’ll pay Komimi’s labor fee.” (Yuri)

“I don’t really mind. To begin with, I do it for free.” (Komimi)

“I’m also fine if I don’t get paid. However, I’m doing it to make money, and I’m going to actually sell it and make money from that. Therefore, it’s not possible to make you both to work for free. I know both of you are rich girls, but no matter how much inconvenience you are on the idea of getting money, I want you to receive them as a starting point.” (Yuri)

“I understand.” (Piña)

“In general, it’s quick to say that it’s a fraction from the established price. Since it’s almost like a prototype this time, the price of the book itself will be much higher. Therefore, I want to put out it as a percentage from the net income excluding the manufacturing costs from the sales. Komimi’s labor salary is included in the manufacturing costs.” (Yuri)

“Hmm, I don’t know what’s the difference.” (Komimi)

‘It seems Komimi didn’t get it. I wonder if there is no such idea from the beginning.’

“Selling a book is essentially selling the contents of a book right? A book is an object which is nothing more than a container just as it is. So when Piña makes the content, the book becomes a special existence. Therefore, I have to distribute the profits at a fraction of the same percentage as I do.” (Yuri)

“I see, I understand now.” (Komimi)

“…I don’t get it though.” (Piña)

Piña had a face that said, ‘What are these people talking about?’

“You should write like you always do, Piña. I’ll take care of the troublesome matters.” (Komimi)

“…Got it.” (Piña)

‘I wonder how to think about that. Well, it’s fine.’

“Well then, would you be fine with twenty percent of the profit?” (Yuri)

‘I think that around ten percent of the market price is in the Japanese printing industry, but that’s a percentage from the established price, including the bookbinding fee. In this case, it is necessary to increase it a little more because the bookbinding fee is excluded.’

“I don’t get it, but it’s fine.” (Komimi)

‘They aren’t greedy, huh?’

“I don’t know the current labor salary of Komimi. So, I will decide that later.” (Yuri)

“It doesn’t matter to me.” (Komimi)

‘I see.’

“…Finally, I’d like to ask you, is there any problem with making this book a business?” (Yuri)

“Are you going to ask that even now?” (Komimi)

“Well, yes. This is probably the Witches’ area. It will be only a matter of time.” (Yuri)

‘The Witches households are people who try to suck sweet juice every time they smell money. Furthermore, since the Silver Birch Dormitory is a place that can be said as a ground of the Witches, it will be strange to think that they won’t bother me.’

“A little bit, yes. We’re all tired of borrowing books.” (Piña)

Komimi somehow said it with a tired face.

“Me too. I’m really tired of waiting for people every day and to find the idiots who don’t return the book as if it’s like a debt. I’m not going to treat this as a lifesaver, but if you have a way of replicating a lot of books, I’d like to ask for it.” (Komimi)

‘It looks like the job of being Piña’s manager is a very painful job. She isn’t forced to do this, and yet, she volunteers to do it… If it were me, I’m going to give up even if I’m having a good relationship with my roommate.’

“Besides, I don’t think I would complain. Even though this had been done since twenty years ago, it’s a huge burden.” (Komimi)

—

‘Hmm?’

“What are you talking about?” (Yuri)

“I mean your parent, of course.” (Komimi)

“Parent? Do you mean my father?” (Yuri)

“Oh, no, it’s fine if you don’t know.” (Komimi)

‘You’re making a face as if you’re stepping on a snake, you know.’

“Doesn’t it bother you?” (Yuri)

“It may be that your father is keeping it a secret. So, I can’t tell you.” (Komimi)

‘I suppose this is related to Rook.’

“I guess it was mostly related to withdrawing from school. I heard a Liberal Arts student fell in love with him and it became a troublesome matter.” (Yuri)

“I wonder if it’s fine to say that.” (Komimi)

‘Aah, this is a hassle.’

“Just say it.” (Yuri)

When I said so strongly, Komimi shook her body to see if she felt cold, and looked away from me.

“Haa… as I expected of you.” (Komimi)

“You can go attacking, but not receiving, isn’t it.” (Piña)

“What are you talking about?” (Yuri)

‘I feel like I’m talking about something bad.’

“I wonder if it’s fine to say it.” (Komimi)

“Say it.” (Yuri)

When I said that, Komimi made a chilly expression that made me feel cold.

“Are you really, really sure?” (Komimi)

‘It feels like she expecting something…’

“…I don’t want you to tell me anymore.” (Yuri)

I refused.

“Oh my, that’s cold.” (Komimi)

“…” (Yuri)

‘Shall I go home now?’

—

TLN:

For those who don’t know mimeograph printing, you can refer to this video. I haven’t encountered this printing machine since my school years started in 1990. I heard it was widely used in 1970s. Please correct me if I’m wrong.