Living in the bubble economy of Tokyo, I became a literary giant through lotteries.

Early March.

A spring rain has turned the streets and alleys of Tokyo green.

The popularity of Sword Art Online has not faded over time; on the contrary, with the publication of the color page GG in the last issue of Weekly Shonen Jump, the fire has been completely ignited.

No one expected that this new writer not only could write novels, but also had such superb comic book skills.

The poses of Kirito and Asuna drawing their swords in the color illustration look exactly like the work of a professional manga artist.

After GG was discontinued, Shueisha received hundreds of letters from readers, all with remarkably similar content:

Will Guan Gu, the amazing teacher, draw comics in the future?

Please, please draw a manga version!

"I want to see more illustrations of Kirito and Asuna!"

The editors looked at the stack of letters and exchanged bewildered glances.

In all their years in publishing, this was the first time they'd ever seen a novel where readers were already urging the author to draw a comic book before the book was even released.

Soon, the release date arrived.

Jimbocho.

At the entrance of Maruzen Bookstore, the line stretched from the shop window all the way to the street corner.

This wasn't an isolated incident; Kinokuniya, Sanseido, and other major bookstores throughout Tokyo were experiencing the same phenomenon.

As Shinchosha had predicted, most of the people queuing were university students on spring break, as well as middle school students in school uniforms, who gathered in twos and threes, chatting away.

Occasionally, you can see a few office workers in suits standing in line, looking down at their watches.

In the bookstore window, Sword Art Online was displayed in the most prominent position.

In an era where book covers look almost identical, this book is truly unique.

The novel that won a major literary award had a comic book cover.

Without any fancy belly band to obscure it, the entire cover is presented to the reader in its entirety.

"Compared to those books with black or white covers, this one is really good-looking." A few girls at the front of the line whispered to each other.

"Yes, and compared to those books that cost seven or eight hundred, five hundred yen is really cheap."

The boys behind me were holding copies of Weekly Shonen Jump, flipping through the pages as they waited in line.

"GG ​​says the first 10,000 copies are a special edition with a surprise." One of the boys closed the magazine, adjusted his glasses, and asked, "What do you think the surprise will be?"

"It can't be a comic book, can it?"

"Ding!"

Bookstores all rang the bells to announce the start of sales.

Sword Art Online is now on sale!

The crowd immediately became lively, and the line moved slowly forward, with everyone's eyes fixed on the books in the shop window, as if they were looking at some kind of treasure.

A few minutes later.

"What a surprise!"

The first person to buy the book tore open the plastic wrap, flipped through a couple of pages, and suddenly exclaimed.

The surroundings fell silent for a second.

"What surprise?" The person behind craned their neck.

The man unfolded the book, his voice trembling: "The first few pages are comics drawn by Guan Gu! And they're color pages!"

The crowd erupted.

"Red bean paste? They've actually drawn a comic strip?"

"I wish I had come sooner! There are so many bookstores in Tokyo, how many of these special editions could this store possibly get?"

"Oh no, oh no, if someone in the school manages to buy the special edition, I wonder how smug they'll be."

What students crave is this sense of superiority, the feeling that "I am special."

The once orderly queue began to stir. Some people stood on tiptoe to look ahead, some tried to cut in line, and some took out their wallets and held the money in their hands in advance.

But in the very next moment...

"I'm sorry," the sales clerk said, peeking out from behind the counter, sweating profusely. "Our special items are sold out."

"what?"

A collective sigh of disappointment rose from the ranks.

After a while...

"Sorry." The clerk poked his head out again, this time in a louder voice, "Sword Art Online is completely sold out in our store."

"ah???"

The crowd erupted in chaos.

"Clerk, are you sure you don't have any left? I'll add 200 yen!"

"I'll add five hundred!"

"One thousand! Don't even try to take it from me!"

The shop assistant shook his head with a wry smile and hung the "Sold Out" sign on the empty shop window.

Some people reacted quickly, turning around and running to the next bookstore without saying a word.

But as the old saying goes: you think your ideas are brilliant, but when you put your plans into action, you'll find that everyone around you is a genius.

The same scene was playing out in front of bookstores all over Tokyo.

But this is only the purchasing phase; the real celebration will begin when people start reading the books.

So let the bullets fly for a while.

The next day, at noon, in a classroom of a certain middle school.

The same group of boys sat together. In the past, they mostly talked about comics, and occasionally they might talk about the pretty girls in the class.

Today, a special edition of "Sword Art Online" lay open on the table, and everyone's eyes were glued to the pages.

"When I drew my second sword, it was to protect the one I love."

Kirito unlocks the dual-sword style, awakening his initial passion for dual swords in order to protect Asuna.

After a long while, a boy slowly spoke.

"So handsome..."

He scratched his head, as if organizing his thoughts.

"I used to think that words couldn't convey the same strong emotions as pictures. Now I realize how superficial I was."

No one responded; everyone was watching the rest of the content.

At the other end of the classroom, a group of girls were gathered together. They usually talked about Johnny's idols, makeup, and where to go shopping on weekends.

At this moment, there was another identical book on the table.

"If I could return to the real world, I would definitely meet you again and fall in love with you all over again."

A bond forged in life and death, a promise that transcends the world, like an arrow, precisely strikes the heart of a teenage girl.

"Ahhh! It's so beautiful!"

"Look quickly! I just saw Kirito say, 'My life belongs to you, Asuna, I will live for you,' and you've already stolen it from me."

"Queue up, queue up, pass on the page after you finish reading it!"

in the afternoon.

A coffee shop in Shibuya.

A young office worker in a suit pushed open the door and walked in, clutching a briefcase tightly in his hand.

He had just finished a business transaction, and during the break, he quickly found an empty seat, ordered a coffee, and pulled out a copy of Sword Art Online from his bag.

He opened the book, his gaze fell on the pages, and then he never looked up again.

The coffee got cold, and the sky outside the window darkened.

When he finally looked up from the book.

"Oh no!"

He glanced at his watch, and his expression changed drastically.

"The client's order hasn't been brought back to the office yet!"

He hurriedly closed the book, stuffed it into his bag, grabbed his briefcase, and ran out.

The waiter called from behind, "Sir, you haven't paid your bill yet." Without turning around, he threw down a few bills, pushed open the door, and rushed out.

Evening, Shinjuku, izakaya.

It's still those same few talented but unappreciated young writers, in that same corner.

But today, there wasn't even a skewer of yakitori on the table, just a few glasses of beer.

The surrounding area was bustling like another world, but the atmosphere at this table was extremely cold.

After a long silence, one of them slowly spoke.

"We made a fatal mistake."

He took a swig of beer, his voice hoarse.

"To find fault with a book, we first need to be able to buy it."

"Damn it! Why does his book sell so well?!" one person cried out, pounding his chest.

"How many copies were printed in the first run? How much money will he make...?" Another person slumped on the table, looking listless.

……

So, what is Mr. Guan Gu, who has caused a huge stir among young people in Tokyo, doing right now?

Shinjuku, deep in a hidden alley.

There's a hidden barbecue restaurant here, with no sign or signboard, only true gourmets can find it.

This restaurant's signature dish is Wagyu beef, which is both delicious and affordable.

Inside a private room in the restaurant.

"You were my first fan, how could I forget you?"