I'll Use My Skill [Edit] to Make People in Another World Become Novelists! Episode 1 [Creative Award 2024 - Manga Original Work Category Entry]

Synopsis
I, Tenma Mori, found myself transported to another world before I knew it.
In this world where I don't know my left from my right, the only thing I can rely on is my own skill. However, the result of my appraisal revealed my skill to be [Edit]. ...What is that?
Before I knew it, I ended up working for a publishing company. Apparently, novels are the main form of entertainment and are gaining popularity in this world.
Alright, I'll use my skill to make these unique people of another world become novelists!
My slapstick editor life in another world begins!

Main Story
Prologue
“I’m telling you! That’s just a cliché!”
“!”
The blonde-haired, blue-eyed woman flinched at my words. Oh, shoot, I’ve intimidated her... I cleared my throat once and spoke with a smile.
“Why don’t you try thinking of a different pattern?”
“Hmm, but you see...”
“But?”
“Isn’t that what everyone else is doing?”
“Ah, well, I suppose that’s true...”
“I think that’s the royal road, the correct way to do it.”
“No, well...”
“I’m sure the readers want that too!”
“Please, calm down!”
I calmed the woman down.
“Sigh...”
“Let’s say, for the sake of argument, that reincarnation is fine.”
“Yes.”
“The problem is the circumstances.”
“Circumstances?”
“Yes, the protagonist getting hit by a carriage and dying... it’s already overdone.”
“Well, it’s like a standard trope...”
“A standard trope! Have you ever actually seen someone get hit by a carriage in real life?”
“No, but...”
“Exactly.”
“Isn’t it fine because it’s fiction?”
“Fiction, you say...”
I lightly pressed my forehead.
“You could start by differentiating it from other works...”
“Stop! That’s exactly it!”
I held my palm out toward the woman. She tilted her head.
“Eh?”
“Let’s say, for the sake of argument, that reincarnation is fine.”
“That’s ten times more generous now.”
“...Why does everyone, without exception, reincarnate or transfer to the same kind of world?”
“Yes?”
“No, I mean, what is this ‘Nippon’ thing!”
I picked up the manuscript on the desk and tapped it with my finger.
“It’s an otherworld that’s easy for everyone to imagine, I suppose...”
“Is it a longing?”
“A longing... well, I suppose there are some readers who harbor such feelings.”
“Do you long for it!? A life where you wear a suit, go to a place called a ‘company’ every day with dead eyes, and work from morning till night, living what’s called a ‘corporate slave’ life!?”
I voiced my honest question.
“Hmm, now that you mention it, why is that...?”
The woman crossed her arms and pondered. I looked up at the ceiling slightly and muttered.
“How did it come to this...”
I, Mori Pegasus, am also an otherworld transferree. The fact that I spend my days in a suit, which makes me stand out in this world, is proof of that. However, I have almost no memories of the world I was in before. According to a doctor, I must have lost my memories due to the shock I received during the transfer. Then, why do I know my name? Because this name was written on several pieces of paper in the inner pocket of my suit. It feels a bit flashy, but since it’s inconvenient to go by ‘Nameless,’ I use this name.
I myself was in quite a panic when I first transferred, but I regained my composure afterward and tried to grasp the current situation. According to the elder of the village that took care of me initially, it’s not that rare for people to transfer here. Listening to their stories, it seems that in many cases, people who lost their lives due to some accident or illness end up in this world. Unfortunately—or should I say fortunately—I have no such memories. However, I concluded that I probably came to this world for a similar reason.
The problem was the elder’s words that there was likely no way for a transferred person to return to their original world. I felt a slight despair at those words, but I changed my mindset quite quickly. I’ll just have to live in this world. How? The elder gave me a hint. People who come from another world often have rare ‘skills.’ They say they use those skills to be active in this world as well. I was invited to a palace where a mysterious crystal ball that can identify skills is kept, and I underwent something called ‘Skill Appraisal.’ As a result, the skill I possessed was... [Edit]. Including me, a ‘?’ appeared in everyone’s heads.
Nevertheless, since it’s worth a try, I was added to something called a ‘party.’ Recalling a vague memory that I avoided things like being an organizer because I was bad at them, I was made to participate in something called a ‘quest.’ This was tough. Ferocious beasts and strange creatures that I probably wouldn’t have encountered in my original world kept attacking one after another. This happens just by leaving the city a little bit. What’s going on with the public safety—well, I guess quests are part of maintaining public safety—anyway, I was completely helpless in such situations. I could only hide in the shadows of the ‘Hero’ man who displayed brilliant sword skills, the ‘Mage’ woman who could freely generate fire and lightning, and the ‘Beastman’ who fought bravely with claws and fangs, or run around.
When I was thoroughly disgusted with my own pathetic self, I was gently encouraged to leave the party. In short, I was fired. My heart ached a little, but I was saved by the words from the party members: ‘It’s the fault of the people who forced you to join,’ ‘There must be a place where your skill can be utilized,’ and ‘...Good luck.’
Having returned to the city, I had to look for a job. However, I didn’t know what I could actually do... Anyway, I tried various things. I drifted between jobs like a tavern waiter, market helper, and construction worker... but my heart didn’t clear up.
Meanwhile, I happened to run into the woman from the village who first protected me in the city. When I consulted her, she said that the elder had forgotten to tell me something. Apparently, for transferrees wearing suits, there might be job openings in the area where the city’s ‘offices’ are lined up. You should have told me that at the beginning.
I tried visiting the office area. Things didn’t go that easily, but I managed to get hired by a company. The company name was ‘Kakuyama Publishing.’ The industry is publishing. During the interview, when I told them that my possessed skill was [Edit], I was told, ‘We’ve been waiting for talent like you!,’ and my hiring was decided.
Although I was hired, I immediately faced difficulties. This Kakuyama Publishing is a so-called ‘weak’ company. Management is always in dire straits. Why? Because of the existence of a powerful competitor. Standing diagonally across from Kakuyama Publishing’s shabby office building is a magnificent building... ‘Kakukawa Bookstore.’ This company has produced many hits. In this world, the genre of ‘novels’ seems to be gaining popularity and has grown into a major form of entertainment. Kakukawa was incredibly strong in these novels.
Our company president, while irritated, made an unreasonable demand at a meeting: ‘We need to produce a hit with a novel too!’ If you could produce a hit on purpose, no one would struggle. Besides, all aspiring novelists are sending their manuscripts to Kakukawa. Everyone values trust and track record above all else. Just as I was holding my head in my hands...
“Mail is here!” A large number of submitted manuscripts were sent to our company, which is rare. What is this? I immediately realized. That’s right, Kakukawa said they were holding a large-scale novel contest, so these must be manuscripts that were sent to our company by mistake.
“...!”
It clicked for me. This is also some kind of fate. From these submitted manuscripts, I will contact those who I feel have potential and have them write a novel. Desperate times call for desperate measures. It’s the fault of those who sent them to the wrong place.

1
“Well, please come in. It’s a bit messy, but...”
“Uh...”
The first woman among those I had contacted arrived at the office. I urged her to sit down and took a seat myself.
“Um, your name is Lucy, right?”
“Y-yes...”
“Um...”
I found myself staring at Lucy’s face. Blonde hair, blue eyes, translucent white skin, long pointed ears... She was an elf.
“U-um...”
“Oh, m-my apologies! It’s my first time talking to an elf!”
I bowed my head. Lucy laughed.
“Hehe, it might indeed be rare around here...”
“I-I’m sorry...”
“No, it’s fine.”
I breathed a sigh of relief. If she had been offended and left immediately, I would have been in trouble. I immediately got to the point.
“So, I’ve looked over your manuscript...”
“Oh, um, about that...”
“Is something wrong?”
Lucy opened her mouth, looking like she was struggling to speak.
“I was so careless...”
“Careless?”
“Yes, I accidentally sent the manuscript that was supposed to go to Kakukawa Shoten here instead...”
“Ah, that’s not a problem.”
“Eh?”
“So then...”
“W-wait a minute!”
“Yes?”
“N-no, I mean... I sent it here by mistake...”
“I don’t mind.”
“I mind.”
“And so?”
“Could I have my manuscript back...”
“Hmm...”
I set the manuscript down and crossed my arms. Lucy tilted her head.
“U-um...?”
“...You’ll be buried at Kakukawa, such a waste of talent...”
“Eh?”
Lucy’s complexion changed at my words.
“Kakukawa has produced many hits. It would be wise to send your manuscript to Kakukawa.”
“Y-yes...”
“However, every month, every week, no, every day, a vast number of manuscripts are delivered to Kakukawa’s editorial department. It’s difficult to spend time reading through all of them... Do you understand?”
“Yes?”
“No matter how much talent or ability you have, without “luck”, you cannot become a novelist.”
“!”
“For example, even if you took this manuscript to Kakukawa now, it would just be piled up on a desk. It’s unlikely to catch anyone’s eye.”
“T-that’s...”
“...But, rest assured.”
“Eh?”
“You are lucky...”
“W-what do you mean?”
“Because you came to this Kakuyama Shobo.”
I spread my arms out dramatically. Lucy looked around and tilted her head.
“Um...”
“With our company, you can become a novelist right away.”
“Eh!?”
“I felt something shining from the manuscript...”
“O-oh, is that so...”
“Of course, it won’t stay like this, but let’s have meetings and create a good novel. You have talent.”
“Talent...”
“This is also some kind of fate... Why don’t you try it with our company?”
“I-I’ll do my best...”
Lucy nodded.One author candidate secured. The conversation returned to the beginning.
“So—that’s why! That’s what’s formulaic!”
“!”
Lucy flinched at my remark. Ah, damn it, I made her shrink back... I cleared my throat once and spoke with a smile.
“Why don’t we think of other patterns?”
“Hmm, but you see...”
“But?”
“Isn’t that what everyone else is doing?”
“Ah, well, I suppose so...”
“I think that’s the royal road, the correct way.”
“Well, you see...”
“I think the readers want that too!”
“Please calm down!”
I calmed Lucy down.
“Sigh...”
“Let’s concede for the sake of argument that reincarnation is fine.”
“Yes.”
“The problem is the circumstances.”
“Circumstances?”
“Yes, the protagonist who died after being hit by a carriage... It’s already overused.”
“Well, it’s like a standard trope...”
“A standard trope! Have you ever actually seen someone hit by a carriage in real life?”
“No, but...”
“Exactly, right?”
“That’s fine because it’s fiction, isn’t it?”
“Fiction, you say...”
I lightly pressed my forehead.
“Even from there, you could differentiate it from other works...”
“Stop! That’s exactly it!”
I held my palm toward Lucy. Lucy tilted her head.
“Eh?”
“Let’s concede for the sake of argument that reincarnation is fine.”
“That’s ten times more now.”
“...Why does everyone, without exception, reincarnate or transfer to the same kind of world?”
“Yes?”
“No, I mean, what is this ‘Nippon’ thing!”
I picked up the manuscript on the desk and tapped it with my finger.
“It must be an otherworld that is easy for everyone to imagine...”
“Is it a longing?”
“Longing... well, I think there are some readers who hold such feelings.”
“Do you long for it!? A life where you wear a suit, go to a place called a ‘company’ every day with dead eyes, and work from morning till night, living what is called a ‘corporate slave’ life!?”
I voiced my honest question.
“Hmm, now that you mention it, why is that...?”
Lucy crossed her arms and pondered. I looked up at the ceiling and muttered.
“How did it come to this...”
“Eh?”
“N-no, it’s nothing, let’s continue.”
As a result of my somewhat forceful recruitment—I am aware of it—Lucy decided to make her debut as an author at our Kakuyama Shobo. At large publishers like Kakukawa Shoten and other mid-sized publishers, the competition is fierce. To increase the probability of a debut even slightly, it’s not a bad judgment to compete in a minor label—I started feeling sad saying it myself, so I’ll call it minor. With that flow, we started the meeting immediately, but...”
“Hmm, formulaic, you say...”
Lucy was still crossing her arms and pondering. Yes, in the novels of this world, otherworld reincarnation stories are currently popular. Most bestsellers are ‘reincarnation’ stories. They are mostly about going to a country called ‘Nippon’—sometimes called ‘Nihon’—and working at a company there. There is almost no difference in the content. They only change the so-called ‘shell’, and the content is almost indistinguishable. However, it... sells. So, everyone and their dog is doing ‘reincarnation’ stories.
However, no matter how much it sells, the publishers themselves hold a sense of crisis. They include phrases like ‘Content doesn’t matter, write freely what you want to write’ in the application requirements and hold contests, but it inevitably leans toward reincarnation stories... I heard a Kakukawa employee lamenting that... at a bar.
Since it’s popular, following it is the correct answer, and meeting the needs is what a pro does, but our Kakuyama Shobo is a follower. Even if we do the same thing, we won’t win against major labels, and we can’t catch up in the first place... But there’s no need to tell Lucy this honestly. I hold my head, wondering how to sugarcoat it.
“...”
“Um...”
“Y-yes, what is it?”
“I thought about it in my own way. The appeal of otherworld reincarnation stories.”
“Ah...”
“I-I’m sorry, I thought analysis might be necessary...”
Lucy bowed her head apologetically. I waved my hands left and right.
“No, it’s fine.”
Lucy raised her head.
“May I?”
“Let’s hear it.”
I leaned forward and prepared to take notes.
“Most reincarnation/transfer stories keep the memories of the present, and in many cases, they reincarnate/transfer... It’s extremely common.”
“Ah, yes, that’s right.”
“And then they work as company employees, or spend their time busy and chased by time, so-called fast life... those kinds of developments are mostly it...”
“Yes.”
“The protagonist’s setting, of course, differs depending on the work...”
“That’s true.”
“Many of them are life-sized people...”
“Yes.”
“They are set close to the readers...”
“Hmm.”
“Isn’t that why it’s easy to empathize with them, which is the appeal?”
“Sigh...”
“H-how is it?”
“Um...”
I put down my notes and crossed my arms.
“W-was it off the mark?”
“No, it was a very interesting content... but.”
“But?”
“Is it really that good? Reincarnation/transfer. As someone who has experienced it, there are more hardships...”
“Eh!?”
Lucy stood up in surprise at my remark.
“W-what happened?”
“M-Mori-san... are you a reincarnated person?”
“No, strictly speaking, I seem to be a transferred person.”
“Transferred person...”
“Is that so surprising?”
“O-of course that’s surprising!”
“It doesn’t seem to be that rare of a story, though...”
I shrugged.
“At least it’s my first time seeing one.”
“Is that so? For now, please sit down.”
“Y-yes, excuse me...”
Lucy took her seat. I muttered in a low voice.
“Isn’t it rare after all?”
“I see, so that’s why...”
“Eh?”
“I thought your atmosphere was somewhat different from other humans.”
“A-ah, is that so...”
“You’re in a suit...”
“Eh, from the clothes?”
That’s a problem before the atmosphere.
“Um... may I ask a few questions?”
“Y-yes, go ahead.”
“Your name is...”
“Mori Temma.”
“Mori-Pegasus-san... so the surname and given name are separated.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Is ‘Mori’ what you call a first name?”
“No, I think it was a family name...”
“Does the family name come first?”
“Yes.”
“That is...”
Lucy put her hand on her chin and pondered.
“Um...”
“Oh, I’m sorry...”
“Yes.”
“Do you take off your shoes at home?”
“Yes.”
“Do you take your trash home?”
“If there are no trash cans nearby.”
“When you slurp noodles, do you make a sound?”
“It’s a habit, I can’t help it...”
“Are you a bread person? Or a rice person?”
“Rice.”
“What is your catchphrase?”
“I’m sorry.”
“You’re a Nippon-jin!”
“Eh!?”
Lucy pointed at me sharply, so I was taken aback.
“O-oh, I-I’m sorry...”
“N-no...”
“But I’m convinced. Mori-san, you came from Nippon in another world...”
“Y-yes... oh, come to think of it... I forgot something important.”
“?”
I stood up. Lucy stood up along with me. I took a piece of paper with my name written on it from my inner pocket and handed it to Lucy.
“I am this kind of person...”
“You’re a company employee!!”
“Eh?”
“And this, isn’t it a meishi!?”
Lucy, who received the paper, was trembling slightly.
“Ah, is that what it’s called?”
“Hmm?”
“I just felt like I had to do this...”
“Business manners are ingrained in you!”
“Y-yes...”
“Everything is surprising...”
“A-anyway, let’s sit down.”
“Y-yes...”
“Um... what were we talking about...”
“Mori-san!”
“Ah, yes.”
“It’s not my place to say this, but...”
“What is it?”
“Wouldn’t it be better to publish Mori-san’s experience record of transferring to another world?”
“Eh?”
“Isn’t that a subject that only Mori-san can write, unique to Mori-san?”
“Unique to me...”
“How about it?”
“No, I would love to do that if you say so, but...”
“Is there a problem?”
“...I don’t have the memories.”
“Eh!”
“I have almost no memories of being in the previous world. It’s hazy, or rather... fragmentary.”
“I-is that so...”
“So, an experience record is quite difficult... I might be able to write about things after coming to this world, but I don’t think it would be that interesting... It would be nice if I could compare the cultures of the two different worlds, but I’ve forgotten almost all the comparison targets...”
“Is that so... I’m sorry, I said something insensitive.”
Lucy bowed her head. I waved my hands left and right.
“No, no, please don’t worry about it... Huh!?”
At that moment, I felt a sensation as if something had flashed in my head.
“? Did something happen?”
“N-no, I see...”
“Yes?”
“Lucy-san!”
“Y-yes!”
“You should write about a subject unique to you!”
“Unique to me...?”
“You might want to think more broadly.”
I spread my arms wide. Lucy tilted her head.
“Eh?”
“Yes, like a subject unique to the elf race.”
“Unique to the elf race...? T-that’s a big topic...”
“A story that makes use of the characteristics of the elf race might be interesting.”
“Characteristics?”
“Yes, for example, is there anything?”
“Hmm.”
Lucy pondered.
“Anything is fine.”
“... Longevity, maybe?”
“Ho, what else?”
“Both men and women are often tall...”
“Ho ho, what else?”
“They like hunting...”
“Ho ho ho, what else?”
“They have a conservative side...”
“Ho ho ho ho, what else?”
“Um... long ears?”
“I’ve got it!”
“Eh!?”
“I’ve got it!”
“W-what is it?”
“I can see it completely...”
“What can you see...?”
I explained to the bewildered Lucy.
“First, tall elves are hunting.”
“Yes...”
“An elf comes up with an innovative hunting method.”
“What kind of method?”
“A way of hunting using long ears.”
“W-what kind of hunting method is that?”
“Naturally, it invites backlash from other elves who are mostly conservative...”
“That’s to be expected, it makes no sense...”
“And there, we weave in common stories unique to longevity...”
“Common stories? How do you weave them in?”
“That part is like... skillfully.”
“T-that’s vague...”
“I thought it was a story unique to elves...”
“I-I’m sorry. I don’t really understand...”
“Well, I didn’t really understand either...”
“Don’t talk about things you don’t understand!”
“I’m sorry...”
I bowed my head. Lucy turned her face away and sighed.
“Sigh...”
“! This is it!”
I hit the desk. Lucy was surprised.
“W-what is it this time!?”
“I forgot something important. I remembered it when I saw Lucy-san’s profile.”
“W-what is it?”
“The characteristic of elves... that they are beautiful.”
“!”
“How is it?”
“W-well, even if you ask me how it is... I can’t say anything myself...”
Lucy looked embarrassed. I continued the conversation.
“I’ll focus on that beauty.”
“Yes?”
“There are two beautiful elves.”
“Yes.”
“Those beautiful elves will be all lovey-dovey with each other.”
“Lovey-dovey!?”
“Yes, they will be happy and harmonious.”
“A-ah...”
Lucy nodded vaguely.
“That’s the kind of story it is.”
“What kind of story!?”
“I suddenly remembered, but in otherworld stories, something called gakuen sometimes appears. Or gakko...”
“Ah, yes, there are those too...”
“It’s a story about elves attending that.”
“An elf ‘gakuen’ story...”
“Yes, they have been attending for hundreds of years.”
“Isn’t that too long!?”
“Because they are long-lived. Isn’t that right?”
“That’s true, but... I see, some incidents happen over those hundreds of years, and they solve them...”
“No, no major incidents happen.”
“Eh!?”
“In my hazy memory, I don’t remember anything that dramatic happening in school life. There’s no need to force incidents into the story.”
“N-no, it would be better if there were some incidents...”
“I don’t think the readers want that. More than incidents, it’s lovey-dovey.”
“More than incidents, lovey-dovey!?”
I nodded to the surprised Lucy.
“Yes, lovey-dovey between beautiful elves spanning hundreds of years... there must be demand for it.”
“U-um...?”
“What is it?”
“Is it not okay to have a handsome male elf and have them flirt?”
“We don’t need men!”
“Eh!?”
Lucy was surprised at my remark.
“Yes! That’s why the setting is a joshiko.”
“Joshiko...”
“It’s a school where only girls can attend. Therefore, all characters are female!”
“A-all female... for example, a combination of an active girl and a shy girl?”
“Isn’t that great! The title is Elf!. This is it!”
“Lovey-dovey spanning hundreds of years... it is indeed a story I’ve never seen before... I feel a grand scale... I’ll try writing it a little.”
“I’m counting on you.”
I bowed my head. The first meeting seemed to have gone well.