My anime/manga fandom can't be that lazy.

Since I've already decided to stop drawing comics and start writing light novels, I should get started now. Although I have plenty of money now, it's still not enough to buy a good computer.

I can only type slowly on my phone first, and try to finish the first volume within this week, and then immediately submit it to the paperback to earn money. Right now, I'm desperately short of money.

That cheapskate father of mine is really ruthless. Not only did he freeze my bank cards, but he also cut off all my movable funds. I guess he just wants to force me to go back.

As a young master, he certainly doesn't have much freedom. Dongfang Bai hates that kind of thing the most. For now, he'll just have to put up a stalemate with his cheap father for a while and create a new world for himself with his own hands.

Before that, I need to figure out what to do for dinner, both for myself and Sagiri...

[PS: In this parallel world, the upperclassman doesn't know Aki Tomoya.]

Chapter Nine: Industry Pills [Seeking Flowers and Reviews!]

"Hello, please give me 500 grams of beef, along with spinach and carrots..."

While thinking about the dishes he needed to prepare that evening, Dongfang Bai spoke to the waitress.

"Okay, it's ready for you!"

Huh?

Dongfang Bai was taken aback, and looked up at the shop assistant in front of him. What was with that strange interjection? It sounded like a Japanese dialect... Kansai dialect?

"Huh?...!"

The girl with the ponytail seemed to have just realized that she had unconsciously spoken her hometown dialect. Wouldn't that be incredibly embarrassing in a big city?

It's all because this guy has such a gentle and relaxed vibe that I inexplicably relaxed!

"No... I'm sorry."

The girl bowed quickly, her movements appearing very practiced; she must have apologized many times...?

Wait, I only spoke with a regional accent, there's nothing to apologize for, right?

Dongfang Bai's lips twitched, and he gave a few perfunctory words with a friendly smile, but upon closer inspection, the shop assistant was actually quite cute.

With striking features and long brown hair tied in a ponytail, a sunny and lovely smile on her face, and a good figure, this type of girl must be very popular at school.

I guess they're facing financial difficulties, which is why they're doing temporary work.

"Okay! Here's what you wanted!"

The girl quickly packed all the ingredients for Dongfang Bai's dinner into a bag and handed it to him. Her flustered appearance was quite amusing.

Thank you!

Dongfang Bai politely said goodbye, then picked up the bag and left the supermarket. It was still quite early before dinner, so he decided to browse around a bit more.

"Phew, they're finally gone... How could I be so careless?"

Aoyama Nanami sighed deeply, feeling a bit tired and struggling to keep up with her work lately.

There's no way around it, the tuition at the voice acting academy is really expensive, and my family doesn't support me, so I can only rely on my own efforts.

"But... there was something light and airy about that person just now...?"

Just thinking about talking to him made Aoyama Nanami feel inexplicably relaxed, and some of her fatigue disappeared.

"Alright, stop spacing out! Let's go!"

……

"A bookstore? That's fine, I'll go see what kind of topics are trending."

Dongfang Bai carried his small bag into the bookstore. There were many people inside, and they were all standing still reading.

Indeed, bookstores in Japan sometimes have a tough time doing business because there are always people who like to come here, look at books for free, and leave without buying anything.

This is why bookstore owners are generally quite irritable.

Welcome!

The long-haired shop assistant greeted him politely, and Dongfang Bai smiled and responded. After that, he could only wander around the bookstore aimlessly.

Are you looking for a book?

"That's right, light novels that have been quite popular recently."

Sure enough, the shop assistants know best which books sell well, so it's best to let them help me choose.

"Then I'll recommend these books to you!"

When Takasago Chie heard the words 'light novel,' she immediately perked up, her eyes practically sparkling.

"The most popular book lately is 'Love Metronome'! It's a work by the super popular new author, Xia Shizi! It's a representative work of youth romance! The character descriptions and plot are also very well done!"

"Then there's this book, 'The Fiery Dark Fairy.' To be honest, I don't really like it, but it's annoying that it sold more copies than 'Love Metronome.' Although the plot is quite interesting, it feels like the author is just selling fanservice..."

"Oh, right! I have to mention this fantasy adventure novel, 'The Legend of the Demon Blade'! The plot is very interesting, and the twists and turns are unexpected. It has recently received a lot of praise from readers! Its sales have consistently ranked first in the store!"

Chie Takasago seemed to get happier and happier as she talked, and she gave a long introduction, after all, she was also an ultimate novel fan.

It feels exactly like when an otaku recommends a certain work.

"Alright, alright, these three books it is."

After being told "good" three times in a row, Dongfang Bai was really overwhelmed by the enthusiasm.

Thank you for your patronage!

Dongfang Bai quickly bought three light novels, spending a total of more than 1000 Japanese yen. Afterwards, he chatted with the shop assistant for a long time, mostly about light novels.

I also learned about a very big problem in the industry recently: because a certain book became popular, such as "Fantasy Demon Blade Legend", many light novels are now being written by copying the template of this book.

Some even slightly modified the plot, and some even simply used a template, changed the name, and wrote it out.

The plots are mostly the same: fantasy/magic, with a female protagonist who is a genius and a male protagonist who is weak but can unleash a special power...

Although this kind of thing was very common in the online novel world before the transmigration, as soon as a book became popular, there would be people copying and writing similar works. This kind of thing was endless.

So now many people are saying 'the industry is doomed, the industry is doomed,' and it's really true, because if things continue like this, the entire industry will only be able to rely on a few writers to support it.

"Alright, it's time to go home and prepare dinner..."

With a light novel in her left hand and dinner ingredients in her right, a hardworking housewife [crossed out] and a stay-at-home dad embarked on a path of no return.

Chapter Ten: Light Novel Release Announced! [Seeking Flowers and Reviews!]

"I am back."

Dongfang Bai opened the door to the house and called out, but received no response, which surprised him.

Has something happened to Sagiri?

Upon realizing this possibility, Dongfang Bai immediately got up and found that the room was very tidy and there were no signs of it being ransacked. The things he had placed on the table were also intact.

boom.

It was a dull thud caused by something stepping on the floor, and Dongfang Bai knew immediately that it was coming from a room on the second floor.

"Sagiri, are you alright?"

Boom!

The sound of footsteps on the floor became faster, indicating that the original owner of the sound was very anxious...

drip.

A text message arrived on my phone from an unknown number, containing only the message, "I'm hungry."

It's Sagiri, right? It must be Sagiri! How did she know my phone number? Did Grandpa tell her?

Dongfang Bai's lips twitched slightly. He was so close to her, why did she have to send a text message? Couldn't she just call out to her?

After saving Izumi Sagiri's phone number into her contacts, she casually replied to a message.

Okay, dinner will be served shortly.

After sending the message, there was no more movement upstairs. Dongfang Bai put the light novel he was holding on the table and went into the kitchen.

Before I transmigrated here, I often lived alone. I learned to cook for two reasons: to satisfy my appetite and to save money. Putting everything else aside, at least the food I cook should taste pretty good.

Fortunately, the house had all the necessary seasonings, so there was no need to spend extra money to buy them.

Dongfang Bai gently tapped the egg and pinched the crack in the shell, and an egg yolk mixed with egg white fell into the bowl. Then he put in a whole hamburger patty, added a little salt, sugar and some other seasonings, and slowly stirred it.

Pour the breadcrumbs from the milk into the pan, stir well, and then deep-fry until golden brown. Remove the oil residue, plate the dish, and arrange cooked carrots and other vegetables around it.

Afterwards, I casually prepared a few side dishes, put them on a plate, took them upstairs, and knocked on Sagiri's room door.

"Sagiri, is dinner ready?"

There was no response, only another text message on my phone, telling me to just leave the food at the 'doorway'.

This child is really hard to please. But considering she's only about 12 years old, it's normal for her to be a little willful. So I put the dinner I made at the door, said hello, and left.

A moment later, the door quietly opened a tiny crack, and a large, jewel-like, light blue eye appeared in the dark room, looking around to make sure no one was there before slowly opening the door.

Then he quickly took the dinner inside, closed the door at lightning speed, and moved incredibly fast.

……

After finishing his dinner, Dongfang Bai picked up the light novel he had bought and began to read it slowly.

As expected, I had guessed before that both light novels were written by characters from the world of anime and manga.

Only then did he remember Aki Tomoya, whom he had met during the day, who was a character from "Saekano: How to Raise a Boring Girlfriend".

Love Metronome was also written by Kasumigaoka Utaha from "Saekano: How to Raise a Boring Girlfriend".

This book, "Love Metronome," is a typical light novel in the youth romance genre that's like a stomach ache. The various plot twists and turns make it hard to read, but it's also very appealing to teenagers.

"Although it's well-written, it's a pity this kind of subject matter isn't suitable for making money..."

Dongfang Bai, wearing black-rimmed glasses, looked at the book in his hands. Of course, these were non-prescription glasses; he just habitually wore them when reading.

After reading through the other two books, I realized that light novels about isekai adventures are currently very popular, so I thought I could write a similar book to follow the trend.

Of course, following trends may bring temporary success, but it cannot last. If you want people to remember your name, you must write a book on a unique topic.