Tokyo: Oreimo

"that...."

Although this naturally naive and beautiful editor has grown a lot in the past six months, she still can't lie without batting an eye in front of this senior colleague who has been so kind to her.

Hayakawa Rumi looked troubled. Because she had agreed to Takashiro Ryosuke's request, she couldn't bring herself to tell the truth. After all, there's no going back once or twice when it comes to speaking up.

Once you tell someone something like this, you can't control it anymore.

Hattori Takuya noticed her expression.

"...Did you promise the author you'd keep it a secret?"

"Well, I can't say right now."

"Well, there are indeed some eccentric authors who like to write as newcomers in order to prove their abilities."

“…”

Hearing Hattori Takuya say that, Hayakawa Rumi breathed a huge sigh of relief.

Honestly, if the other party continues to press her, she might really not be able to withstand the pressure.

"Did the other party make any requests? It would be a waste to put this kind of work in the monthly awards or wait until the end of the year to use it as a debut for a newcomer."

"This author has requested to participate in the Dengeki Bunko Grand Prize..."

Hattori Takuya's face showed an expression of "I knew it."

"Yes, I will arrange it as soon as possible."

"Um..." Seeing her senior's decisiveness, Hayakawa Rumi asked somewhat timidly.

"Don't you find anything familiar about this manuscript, senior?"

"There probably is, but when it comes to writing style, many authors have similar styles, so it's impossible to be certain. Besides, this author..."

Hattori Takuya opened the manuscript and showed Hayakawa Rumi the rather chaotic handwriting on it.

"It seems like someone is deliberately hiding their identity. This handwriting is really quite messy. If all else fails, I should print it out on my PC. If the content weren't so interesting, I might not be able to read it."

Hearing Hattori Takuya's complaint, Hayakawa Rumi could only chuckle awkwardly.

Hattori Takuya greeted her and got up to go to the rest area for a meal, while she sat down and placed the manuscript in front of her.

"That's really impressive, Mr. Shigaze. Even the senior couldn't spot the trace..."

Thinking back to when we met some time ago, the other party promised to bring an even more amazing new work.

Now it seems that it is indeed more excellent.

Chapter 61 All for the White-Haired Loli

On his way home, Ryosuke was still thinking about Fate/Zero.

This work was released several years after the original game became a huge hit.

Before Fate/Zero, Gen Urobuchi had already established his unique and cruel creative style with works such as Phantom and Saya no Uta, after which he fell into a slump.

At Kinoko Nasu's invitation, I created this prequel story.

If this novel were based on the timeline in my memory, it would undoubtedly be a success, as it would leverage the popularity of the Fate IP.

But at this stage, Ryosuke is taking a gamble by releasing this work.

In the current stage where the internet is not yet well-developed, once CM Expo ends, game sales are likely to stagnate, or at least word-of-mouth will not spread quickly.

If the game can win a prize in the Dengeki Bunko Awards and get the opportunity to be published, that would undoubtedly be the best way to promote the game. In turn, fans of the game would also be curious about the previous work and would go out of their way to buy and read it.

This creates a positive synergy, boosting sales.

But the prerequisite is that he can successfully achieve his goal and win the Bunko Award.

As for Gen Urobuchi's writing style, it is not difficult to imitate. Ryosuke has read most of his previous complete works, and even watched "Puella Magi Madoka Magica," which he directed later, three times.

This author always likes to push his characters one by one into an irreversible abyss of tragedy.

Ryosuke also had this interest, and the final product was not much different from the original work. Moreover, the reading threshold was slightly adjusted, making it easier to read.

"Speaking of which, if Ling Nai sees this previous work, she might challenge me to an offline duel."

He suddenly realized he hadn't spoken to his sister for several days and felt a headache coming on.

.....

Before boarding the train home, Ryosuke looked for a convenience store near the station along the way.

He planned to buy a copy of the Kadokawa Magxine magazine, which came as a free gift, to take home as a souvenir.

But after visiting several convenience stores, none of them had a version with free gifts.

I asked the store clerk, and it seems that all the versions with CDs have already been sold.

"That makes sense. If a normal person sees a version with extra free gifts, they'd buy that version no matter what, right?"

There were already very few free gifts available, with only 500 available per week. Spread throughout Tokyo, with Kadokawa's sales network, each store was lucky to get even one.

"Let's try one last time. If we can't buy it, then forget it."

Ryosuke shook his head helplessly and stepped into the convenience store that was closest to the station and also the last one.

Fortunately, he finally found the version with a CD on the magazine shelf.

"Has it not been bought yet?"

Ryosuke took the magazine from the bookshelf, bought a bottle of water, and went to the cashier to pay.

Just as he was taking out his money, the convenience store door opened, and a panting young man burst in.

.....

Shota Kikuchi was only wearing slippers and a thin white T-shirt, and his hair was a mess, like a bird's nest.

"That Suzuki guy, he clearly has the CD, but he refuses to lend it to me no matter what. He's really annoying."

He kept muttering to himself, noticing that there were other customers in the convenience store who were also looking at him. Sensing this, Kikuchi Shota immediately lowered his head, as if that would make him feel more at ease.

He rarely goes out and is somewhat intimidated by the stares of strangers.

"Buy what you need quickly and get home as soon as possible."

Shota walked almost without stopping to the bookshelf filled with manga magazines, his eyes darting around as if searching for something.

He flipped through the bookshelf, picked up a magazine, quickly flipped to the last page and put it down again. After checking it several times, a look of disappointment appeared on his face.

"This company doesn't have it either? The print run is too small!"

He had already searched three kilometers around his home and visited more than a dozen convenience stores, but without exception, they were all out of stock.

"No matter what, it's really strange to go to so much trouble just for the name 'brother'."

Like his childhood friend, the two shut-ins never lacked common topics. When they were bored, they would usually communicate by phone. However, during a call a few days ago, he heard a woman's voice on the other end of the line.

Under pressure, it was discovered that the other person was playing a visual novel that hadn't been officially released yet, which was supposedly quite interesting.

"Trust me, Shota, you'll definitely love this game. It'll be officially released at CM Expo, so let's go queue up together then."

"Before this, you were suffering because you couldn't play the demo, right? Are you envious? The character in this game will call me brother. She's a white-haired loli, but unfortunately you can't see her."

The other party's arrogant taunts echoed in Kikuchi Shota's mind.

This guy is a real troublemaker. If it weren't mentioned, he might not have been so interested, but with such a tempting recommendation, Shota couldn't resist becoming curious.

"This demo disc was a bonus with the purchase of Kadokawa Magzine light novel magazine. It's a limited edition item released every week. I'm so lucky; I managed to buy it so easily."

"There are still some guys online who don't approve of this work. They're a bunch of pathetic bastards who haven't even played it and are just barking incessantly."

After hanging up the phone, Shota Kikuchi found the post his friend had mentioned online. It had already piled up as high as a mountain, and it would take a long time to bring it down.

This made him even more curious: what kind of game could be so captivating that it would make someone willing to spend days battling with strangers online?

"Let's keep looking. We've already spent so much time on this. Once we find it, we won't need to go out until August. We'll get plenty of sunshine."

Shota Kikuchi muttered to himself, trying to avoid other people's gazes, and prepared to leave the convenience store and head to the next one.

"Well then, here's your bill, sir."

"Well, there's nothing else I need."

"A complimentary Kadokawa Magzine magazine and a bottle of Calpis, all for a special price of 1050 yen."

As the cash register popped up, Shota Kikuchi stopped in his tracks, frozen in place as if time had been frozen.

His eyes darted furtively to the magazine held in the hands of a boy in front of the cashier.

The back of the journal was facing him, and the circular outline was clearly visible on the last page.

"Um... could you move aside a little?"

As he walked away from the convenience store, Kikuchi Shota blocked his way, and the boy looked troubled.

Should I speak up? How terrifying!

But if we don't speak up and keep looking, we might not be able to find it, right?

It's such a pity to miss out, we were just a step too late.

In an instant, countless thoughts popped into Kikuchi Shota's mind.

But ultimately, they all pointed to one goal: to prevent the boy in front of them from buying the magazine with the free CD.

How to do?

How can I get him to give me this magazine?

Think of something, Shota!

"Ugh...."

Shota Kikuchi heard the boy in front of him sigh and then try to walk around him and leave the convenience store.

He suddenly panicked and couldn't help but reach out and grab the other person's arm.

"Is there something you need? Isn't it a bit impolite to touch someone like that?"

The boy's tone was strange, and his gaze felt like a knife stabbing into him, causing him to instantly let go.

Shota Kikuchi felt a little weak in the legs and a bit dizzy; he was afraid of socializing.