I, who advocate giving up, feel like a disqualified person

One of the few things about writers that can be compared to this is Balzac drinking copious amounts of coffee to combat fatigue while writing. Essentially, though, the latter did so to make a living, to monetize his work, while the former's behavior is a truly bizarre habit.

The strangest thing is that she didn't gain weight. As a woman who also tries to diet, I can't understand why.

"Of course it happened. If it weren't for that, I wouldn't be here... So, try to avoid asking questions like these that you can easily answer."

"...Um..."

Why does it feel like you're complaining about me?

"Humans really do a lot of useless things." She seemed to chew harder, the sound becoming clearer to me. "When I visit someone, I greet them with a smile and then ask, 'Hey, what brings you here?' Nonsense, you invited me after all. And when I normally greet someone, I say, 'Oh, you're here.' Don't people always have appointments when they visit? Why repeat something that everyone knows? And when I'm on the phone, even more so, 'Hello, who are you?' 'It's me, it's me!' How can a voice transmitted through an electronic device be exactly the same as a normal voice?"

"...ah..."

I think her aimless complaints are useless, but if I say this, she will probably bring up something else... so I have no choice but to follow her topic.

After all, there are still many things to do, so if it's just a conversation, it shouldn't be a big deal to give her a little attention. If it really doesn't work, just respond with "um" or "yeah" to get by.

"Hmm... well, this is what you call politeness, right?"

Responding like this, I began to look for the dip pen and plot outline that I had misplaced somewhere.

"It's because of these meaningless things that most people feel they don't have enough time. Wasting time on meaningless things is like wasting your life."

“Crack—crack—crack—”

"Is that so... (Ah, I found it), then what are you doing right now?" Instead of sulking here with no purpose, it would be better to write something more.

"I'm angry."

“…”

He actually admitted it.

"Are you angry? Angry at whom? Why are you angry?"

It's better to ask clearly.

"I don't want to answer any questions except the first one. Yes, I'm angry."

"..."

This feeling...how should I put it? Are all writers this neurotic?...I feel a bit like someone I met before. (Yisheji: A-choo!)

"You must have been thinking, 'Instead of being angry here, I should go write more.' You must have thought that, right? You must have thought that, right?"

"...Yes, I did think so." He admitted it pretending to be nonchalant.

But I am a little surprised that this could be guessed.

"Heh—" She seemed a little disdainful of this.

This contemptuous tone didn't seem to be directed at me alone, but rather rose to a higher level.

"So, those who don't understand just don't understand. As a creator, unless their conscience is broken or they're truly ill, they won't give up easily. But creation isn't easy. Can you expect inspiration to come from working day and night without sleep, even if you're forced to do so? That's simply impossible! That's right, I'm talking about you, Hashima Xyue from Hirasaka X's work! Stop misleading the audience! There's no such thing as easy creation in the world!"

"What are you complaining about all of a sudden?"

Why does it feel like the style has changed and it has deviated to some kind of complaining show?

"Blindness, following trends, and misinterpretation are inherent human traits, habits that can't be broken no matter what. Even with so-called higher education, these deeply ingrained habits remain inextricable. Therefore, exaggerating reality to convey a plot point is something I detest." She paused briefly, and the "click" sound echoed again. "The reason why 'nothing' can give rise to 'something' is because people have always believed in 'better to believe'. Even if something never happened and sounds absurd, as long as it's widely disseminated, people will still believe it. So, for some reason, novelists and manga artists seem to have been given the "prone to interruption" buff. Many people urge them to update, even when the author should be taking a break, saying, 'You updated just a few days ago, wouldn't it be better to just do it like you did a few days ago?' They're afraid that the author will abandon their work like that mahjong prodigy who published a rough draft in a magazine, leaving behind a work that they claim will be "done in their lifetime."

"...Well..."

For a moment I didn't know how to respond.

"But it all started as a joke. Over time, what seemed like a joke became seen as fact by others. What's even more tragic and funny is that some people actually believed it."

"...is that so?"

"Yeah," she responded nonchalantly. "Some people say that new artists whose work I admire are guaranteed to win awards. Are you kidding me? When have I ever praised anyone? And I rarely comment on other people's work, because so-called work simply showcases a person's experience or worldview. I'm not interested in other people's worlds, let alone judging their merits... Ah, except for those who can't even speak properly. I'll leave an anonymous comment below saying "Get lost," to dissuade them from wasting their precious lives on a path that's not suited to them."

"...Ugh..." It sounds a bit cruel.

And what happened to her...

"So... if I were to write now, the content I'd get would definitely be based on this emotion. I'd ignore the clues and foreshadowing I'd laid out before, and there's no way I'd be able to write a perfect piece. In my opinion, investing my time in producing garbage is far less effective than sitting here eating snacks."

"...Whatever, as long as you are happy."

It seems like she's being irrationally angry... or is she being angry out of principle? It's hard to understand.

"Huh, I feel like my throat is a little dry after talking so much. Huh——"

I felt like she took a deep breath and then started rummaging through the plastic bag beside her.

"Oh, found it." When I was still wondering what she had found, I heard the sound of a can being opened behind me, and the sound of gas trying to rush out was extremely clear to me.

"If you drink, be careful not to get any on the sheets."

I warned him worriedly.

"Oh, okay... No, this seems to be my house, right?"

"No matter whose family it is, you have to pay attention to it, right?" I always feel that the things she pays attention to are so strange.

"Well, forget it." "Ton ton ton——" "Ahaha~~"

“…”

It was obvious that she was drinking a beverage, but it sounded like she was drinking alcohol.

"...Well, let's get back to the point."

Are we getting back to the point now? What was that just now? Was it really just a simple rant?

"Ahem, what do you think of that person?"

Another sudden question. And it felt even more bizarre than the previous one.

"Hmm? Who are you referring to? How can I possibly know if you don't tell me the name..."

"Oh my god, are you one of those cool-fiction readers who doesn't pay attention to context?"

"Why does that sound so subtle? Are you sure you're expressing your displeasure? If you're truly trying to hurt my pride, then I can only say you've failed." I didn't feel like I was being pricked in the slightest. It would be more effective to just say... say something bad about me directly. "And I have a feeling that saying that would make a lot of people angry."

"Haha, let's not even talk about the possibility of this being leaked. Even if this conversation between you and me was actually recorded and published as a novel on a website, it would definitely be a rather profound novel. Those who read lighthearted novels wouldn't be interested in clicking on it, and even if they did, they wouldn't have the patience to read this far." Then came the sound of sipping, followed by an even more brazen explanation, "Because such a valuable conversation has to be placed in the paid section, no matter what."

"Wow..." She was so confident. "Then, what did I do wrong? Why did I say that..."

"Do you really need me to explain? Well, okay, you're in charge of drawing, so you don't have much experience with writing."

...How should I put it, this tone of superiority is really irritating. But I also know she's never like this around other people... Maybe she only shows this when she's with me... It's like eating like crazy, it's not an exaggeration to say it's a habit.

"Then please explain."

Anyway, it won’t stop me from painting.

"It seems to me that you haven't connected it to what I said before. I revealed from the beginning that I didn't go to that girl's house, and you also guessed that it was because of what happened. So, considering the context, of course we can deduce that the murderer is that guy with glasses!"

"It's better to find out their names before explaining them." I couldn't help but sigh and put my brush aside. Seeing her like this, I didn't have the heart to continue painting, so I might as well just chat with her.

"Name? That's not important."

"...The girl's name is Tongyou, and the boy wearing glasses you mentioned is named Xun Yu."

"Xun Yu? I know Xun Yu. He's the one who "holds a loyal and steadfast mind, upholding eternal integrity." He's the one who helps others replenish their cards when he's injured."

"...This string of words is too much." Although this person was the first person I thought of, she directly thought of the game...

"The fact that he can be given this name means that his parents must be very good at playing Three Kingdoms Kill." He nodded as he said this.

I just assumed she was joking.

"Then the answer is revealed. I was asking you what you think of the man named Xun Yu."

"...Although it has nothing to do with the answer, I would like to remind you that although the pronunciation of that character is similar, it is just the character for fire with the character for yu. Don't really associate it with ancient people."

"I don't associate him with Xun Yu. How could he possibly compare to the historical Xun Yu? You must be kidding."

“....." It’s better not to let him know these words.

"Anyway, considering his performance here these past few days, give us a good evaluation of the impression you have of him...or your feelings about him." She thought for a moment and added, "Six to eight hundred words."

"Are you taking the essay test?"

And now narrative and expository writing are no longer tested.

"That's it anyway, tell me now."

So she really stopped interrupting and just quietly drank her drink while waiting for me to speak.

"Ah... well..."

This was my first time evaluating someone, so I couldn't help but feel a little nervous. My gaze wandered around, seemingly aimlessly, before finally settling on a nearby bookshelf.

"...If I had to say, my first impression was that he was serious..." I tried to recall. "He put his shoes on the shoe rack when he walked in, and did the same when he left. He also listened very carefully to what I taught him, and in less than two hours, he basically mastered the skills. But I rarely saw him look relaxed... Maybe he was under a lot of pressure?"

This should be fine... I looked at Li Moya behind me, but when she noticed that I saw her, she actually nodded.

"Uh-huh."

Then his eyes prompted me to continue.

"Also... he doesn't smile much, right? Because in my impression, he always has a stern face... Even if I smile at him, he just bows slightly. It feels like there's an invisible distance between us. Isn't that strange?"

"Mmm~Mmm~"

She shook her head at me, her drink in her mouth, probably meaning that everything I just said was correct. And she asked me to continue...

"Well... since he seems so serious, I think he's a good student."

This is a bold guess for me.

"continue."

She said it expressionlessly.

"Eh?"

What else? What else... That's all the impression he left on me... But Kurima's expression seemed to be asking if there was anything else I hadn't noticed. Something I hadn't noticed... combined with his previous performance... and so on.

"Do you mean..."

I think it's very likely.

"Yeah, you finally understand~" Seeing that I suddenly realized, she seemed to be much happier.

"He likes Tongyou, right?"

".....ah?"

Her joyful expression froze, as if a Stand user had used "The World" to stop time.

"...Did I say something wrong?"

Chapter 28: Changes in Negotiation

Facing Kurimasa, who showed absolutely no reaction to my words, I couldn't help but turn my gaze to the clock beside me. Partly to confirm whether time was actually flowing, partly to confirm the current time... and also...

After the second hand moved nine times, Kurima finally returned to normal. It seemed I hadn't misunderstood what she was doing.

However, the first thing she did was not to respond to what I just said, but to send...

"Humph--"

Such a sound.

I'm really worried that she'll suddenly stand up, strike a pose, and yell something like "I'm actually Dio"... But if that's the case, it would be a bit unreasonable for her to stop for nine seconds.

"what do you mean..."

"It turns out that as long as the aura is used well, a two-second time stop can easily counterattack a nine-second kill. In other words, even though you've always boasted about your strength, you will still be defeated by me."

"Ah?" What did she say?

"I won this battle!"

"Who are you fighting against..."

This guy always does things silently...

"Indeed, I was shocked when you said 'he likes Tongyou' just now. Then, after thinking about it, I felt more and more that it was indeed the case. So, I really lost to you in this aspect of judgment. Dei Mo, so tired wadogana~"

"what..."

The famous counter-kill line appeared. For some reason, I felt nervous about this line.

"When you first mentioned it, I did begin to notice this, misleading me. I also found a connection to the meaning of 'misinterpretation,' so at that moment I felt I had failed. I accused you of being like a reader of a shuang novel, oblivious to details and foreshadowing, but I had actually made the same mistake."