[2] "White Album"?

After comprehending each other's ambitions, Eriri presented herself professionally, inquiring, "Now that you've chosen to embark on a career as a light novel author, have you decided on your debut work? I hope you won't tell me you haven't settled on a genre yet. If you're unprepared, I may need to gauge your dedication."

Masamune, taking a pragmatic stance, shared, "Considering the prevailing market trends, harem-style isekai stories have a high likelihood of success. However, personally, I'm not particularly fond of that genre. So, I lean more toward slice-of-life narratives."

Furthermore, in this world, I hold a deep appreciation for anime, manga, and novels.

Both Eriri and I are dedicated otaku with a profound understanding of these mediums, Masamune reflected.

"It appears, Masamune, that you indeed have a solid grasp of the current market trends. Our shared enthusiasm for so many years hasn't been in vain! However, as you mentioned, in today's literary landscape, opting for a slice-of-life genre like you do can be somewhat challenging," Eriri continued, offering a well-thought-out analysis.

Within the realm of slice-of-life works, you can find inspirational stories, comedic tales, and most prominently, romantic and rivalry-themed pseudo-harem narratives.

Succeeding in this genre can be quite demanding, but it provides more room for uniqueness compared to similar genres.

In the current market climate, isekai harem stories, especially those with a bit of spice in the writing and somewhat suggestive illustrations, have the potential to sell significantly and even become bestsellers.

This is where their advantage lies.

Of course, in other genres as well, captivating illustrations and beautiful female characters can attract a substantial audience.

"Although it's challenging, there's still a significant market for this kind of work. Most of the recent light novels with high sales have been in this genre. While isekai stories are accessible, leaving a profound impression is quite rare," Masamune concurred.

"So, have you already decided on the subject matter?" Eriri asked again.

"Let's go with romantic rivalry-themed works," he replied softly.

"Haha, a light novel with romance as the main theme?" Eriri's face displayed a somewhat unnatural expression, her gaze subtly changing as she scrutinized him. "Let me confirm this, you aren't secretly in a romantic relationship, are you?"

"Huh? Of course not! If I were dating someone, how could my childhood friend like you not know?"Masamune looked at her with a mischievous grin.

"Indeed, if you were sneaking around, I'd definitely catch you. And with your clumsiness, I doubt any girl would be interested in you," Eriri muttered to herself.

She raised an eyebrow and continued, "You, with no romantic experience, want to write romance novels? Isn't that asking for trouble? A fool will always be a fool."

"Who says you need to have experience to write romance novels? Do authors of isekai stories have to visit other worlds?" Masamune countered defiantly.

He paused for a moment, glanced at Eriri, and added, "Do authors of adult manga have to lead that kind of lifestyle too?"

Eriri felt somewhat offended by his remark.

The look he gave her clearly implied something!

Even though she was the irresistible 'Eri Kashiwagi,' her heart was still that of a pure-hearted girl!

"Masamune, you're clearly bending the truth! Fantasy genres are, by their nature, products of imagination, but when it comes to romance, it should have some basis in reality. Otherwise, it'll be unrealistic and sooner or later, it will show its true colors," Eriri's face turned crimson as she spoke.

In this regard, it was clear that Eriri's argument made more sense.

Fantasy works are fantasy works, and even if they aren't entirely realistic, most readers are willing to suspend disbelief and fill in the gaps themselves.

However, ordinary slice-of-life works are different.

Their selling point lies in relatability, and any inconsistencies are more noticeable because they deal with everyday emotions and experiences.

"You're right," Masamune conceded, no longer attempting to argue.

"But to avoid such shortcomings, it's still achievable. I have enough confidence in that," he added.

Since Masamune had already settled on the genre, there was no need for further changes.

"You're such a stubborn fool. Since you've taken it this far, there's no point in trying to persuade you anymore. Let's leave it at that," Eriri sighed, accepting the situation.

"If you've thought this far, you must have a title in mind, right? Tell me, and I'll see how it sounds," she asked. A book's title is crucial, so Eriri shifted her focus to that aspect.

"I've indeed already thought of a title," Masamune nodded gently. "Let's call it 'White Album.'"

"'White Album'?" Eriri echoed, curious.

This book title is somewhat hard to analyze.

"Well, Eriri," Masamune looked at her expression.

In recent light novels, such a name was indeed somewhat unconventional.

"Although I feel quite annoyed by the trend of making it sound like a light novel title by adding quotation marks, there is indeed some merit to naming it this way. At the very least, it can grab some attention."

"If you name it like this, it's somewhat puzzling in the current trend, but that's not to say it's necessarily a bad thing. After all, when everyone else is naming their works this way, you might end up standing out from the crowd," Eriri analyzed, unable to judge the title as good or bad based on current naming conventions.

"In the end, why did you choose this name? Does it have a special meaning?" she inquired.

Actually, it doesn't have a specific meaning. The plot of this work is based on the game turned anime "White Album 2" from my previous life, so he didn't want to change the name.

"It's related to the essence of my work," Chihane Izumi explained.

Since this world was a fusion of memories from various anime worlds, he had carefully verified that he wasn't part of those worlds before settling on the title.

Eriri fell silent for a moment. "Well, it seems you'll have to rely on the content and illustrations to stand out."

"Agreed. I'll work on completing the content for the first volume during this time, and I'll come find you when it's ready," Masamune made an agreement with her.

"That works best. On the first Saturday of next month, my dad is hosting an event, so I can use that as an excuse to come see you," Eriri suggested.

Whenever there were social obligations at her home, she often took the opportunity to escape to the Izumi household under the pretense of "painting with peace of mind."

"Sounds good," Masamune nodded in understanding and then left.