Tokyo: Oreimo

"Ok?"

Ryosuke tilted his head and looked at Tanaka Middle School with a mysterious smile.

"Since you're planning to participate in Winter COMI, if you're interested, Takashiro-kun, you can give it a try. Ayumi will provide the illustrations for you."

Writing fan fiction about your own work?

Ryosuke was taken aback by Tanaka's suggestion.

To be honest, I've been quite free lately. The company's animation department is temporarily busy with the sequel to "The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya," and we also have two games in production.

As a scriptwriter, I will definitely have some free time after the SAO script is completed at the end of the month.

As for 'fan works'...

So it seems that it's not impossible to write it.

"It's not that it's impossible, but is it limited to fan works related to S;G?"

Ryosuke asked a question.

"Of course not, it's definitely up to you to improvise." Tian Zhongxue immediately shook his head.

He wanted to create something based on S;G, entirely out of personal fondness for the character 'Amane Reiha'. Novels are a very private thing.

The club is just for fun, so how could it set rules and regulations for fellow enthusiasts?

"But let me make this clear beforehand, Takashiro-kun." Tanaka patted him on the shoulder, "Because the club's activity budget is limited, we will only publish one doujinshi for Winter COMI, which will be voted on by the club members. Don't be discouraged if I beat you then."

Tianzhong Middle School is quite confident in this regard.

After all, he had gone through a lot of trouble to put together this manga research project and had achieved some small successes before it was approved by the student council and the academic affairs office.

Last winter at COMI, his stall was a huge success. He printed a hundred copies of fan fiction, and most of them sold out in three days.

That's how this year's funding came about.

And to be honest, Tanaka didn't have high expectations for Ryosuke, and creating fan fiction is not a simple matter.

Complete novices have a high probability of failure; they may write things that intoxicate themselves but are not accepted by the market.

However, as long as people are willing to write, attendance can be guaranteed, and Tianzhong Middle School's goal will be achieved.

Ryosuke chuckled upon hearing what the manga club president said.

This is the first time I've heard someone say they can beat themselves in novel writing.

"I understand, then I'll start preparing."

He does have a work that he could consider releasing, and releasing it through this small community could reduce some market risks.

Because, as far as I remember, that work did not perform well in terms of initial sales, and if it were published directly under my current pen name, it might be criticized.

But if you put on a disguise, there won't be any problem.

"Great! Let's work hard together, Takashiro!"

.....

Ryosuke waved his hand behind him and didn't say anything more.

As I walked to the school gate, my phone vibrated in my pocket.

It is yarn-woven.

"Did you go to your club today?"

Ryosuke smiled and typed a reply with one hand.

It was only the second day, and everything was new and exciting, so I briefly recounted what happened in the club that day.

Saori replied quickly.

"This sounds interesting. By the way, are there any girls in your club who could be a threat to me?"

"No."

He replied.

"That's good. By the way, let's go over the script for the new work together this weekend. I need to check your progress when you come to the company."

Just as Ryosuke was about to reply, his phone vibrated again.

It's Ling Nai.

What time will you be back today?

He glanced at the time; it was just past 5:10.

"Around seven o'clock today, I went to the club activity room."

"Humph."

A standard Lennar reaction.

Just as Ryosuke was about to put his phone away, a second message popped up.

"Did that giantess message you again?"

Is this guy really that perceptive, or is he deliberately staking out to see if he's sent any messages to others?

"It's just about the club. Sending you this text makes it seem like you've been waiting for me to contact you."

"Who's waiting for you?! You narcissist!!!"

Ryosuke chuckled and put his phone back in his pocket.

The train journey from Shinjuku to Chiba requires one transfer and takes one and a half hours in total.

Ryosuke leaned against the handrail next to the car door, took out his notebook, and opened the draft page of the new work's setting.

SAO is basically finished, so it's perfectly acceptable to write some new things.

He took out the fountain pen that Ling Nai had given him from his jacket pocket and wrote a title on a blank page.

.....

Another week passed, on the second Wednesday afternoon of the semester.

The activity room of the Comic Research Enthusiasts Club.

On Wednesday, the club activity day, Ryosuke arrived earlier than anyone else.

The activity room still bore traces of its use by other clubs yesterday; incomprehensible formulas were drawn on the whiteboard, and the trash cans were overflowing with snack wrappers.

He wiped the whiteboard clean, drew back the curtains, and let the afternoon autumn sunlight stream into the room.

Tian Zhongxue said that the manga club activities start at 3:30 pm.

Ryosuke glanced at the clock on the wall; there were still fifteen minutes until three o'clock.

He found a seat by the window, took out his notebook from his bag, and flipped to the pages he had written the night before.

He didn't have to wait long before the club's door was pushed open.

Horiuchi Ayumi walked in carrying her bag, and was clearly taken aback when she saw Ryosuke. "You're here so early."

"I had no other plans, so I came early."

"Tianzhong said he's bringing a new drawing tablet today, he'll probably be ten minutes late." Ayumi put her bag on the table, walked to the water dispenser, and took out a cup. "What would you like to drink?"

"No need, I brought my own."

Ryosuke pointed to the kettle on the table.

He was actually a little surprised, as he only realized after arriving that Horiuchi Ayumi wasn't the typical club member.

She wore a baseball cap and sneakers, and spoke crisply and clearly, more like a manager of a sports club.

"I heard Tanaka mention it; he said you're planning to write fan fiction?"

Ayumi pulled out a chair and sat down, turning on her graphics tablet first.

"Our club was just established this year, so we definitely need to produce some work. The Winter COMI doujinshi is the first event our club is participating in. The president will probably start voting on the theme next week. Do you have enough time to prepare?"

"There should be enough time, right?"

Ryosuke chuckled.

To be honest, two weeks is more than enough time to write an introduction.

Horiuchi Ayumi walked over with a water glass in her hand, her gaze falling on the notebook beside him with considerable curiosity.

"It's already taking shape? That's much faster than I expected."

She leaned closer and glanced at the contents of the notebook.

—"The Boundary of Emptiness".

"What is this? It's a fanfic that I can't tell what work it's from at all."

Ayumi Horiuchi looked puzzled.

It was a name I'd never heard of before.

Chapter 233 As long as it's alive...

"Since it's fan fiction, shouldn't the title at least reflect the original work?"

"Just like the work that Tanaka guy prepared this time, 'Encounter on the Gamma World Line,' people will most likely be able to guess at a glance which original work it is based on for a fan creation."

Horiuchi Ayumi commented earnestly.

Ryosuke shrugged, offering no explanation.

"Ah, I see. As expected of someone from the Literature Department, you have your own pride, right? You think that kind of name is too vulgar?"

Horiuchi Ayumi smiled and shook her head.

She had seen this kind of thing many times, because she had also collaborated with like-minded people outside of Tianzhong Middle School a few times.

Of course, all I experienced were failures.

That's too naive, or rather, it's the arrogance of someone just starting out.

Ryosuke could roughly guess what Horiuchi Ayumi was thinking from her expression, but he didn't argue and just smiled.