Chapter 112: Let Us Drown in Eternal Romantic Literature!
To maximize the effects of "Writing (Romantic) LV4" and "[Minami Shouji's Pure and Simple Late-Life Romantic Writing Style]",
Minami spent a few days experimenting with different approaches.
And finally—
He reached a conclusion.
The more melancholic, poetic, and romantic his writing was,
The stronger the effects of his Writing (Romantic) skill.
On the other hand—
The more nonsensical, bizarre, exaggerated, or outrageous his writing became,
The less effective the skill was.
For example—
"The world is so vast, I want to go out and see it."
vs.
"What color underwear are you wearing today? I really want to see."
The difference was obvious.
The latter contained nothing even remotely romantic.
So, of course, it failed to trigger the effects of Writing (Romantic) LV4 and [Minami Shouji's Pure and Simple Late-Life Romantic Writing Style].
But the most ridiculous and bizarre thing was—
Even if Minami really wrote something like "What color underwear are you wearing today? I really want to see.",
Which was strictly speaking, textbook sexual harassment,
Somehow, he could still feel a faint trace of romance in it.
It was an odd sensation—
A "reckless yet passionate romance"—
Like the kind of foolish bravery where you knew saying something would get you slapped,
But you said it anyway, accepting the consequences.
Of course—
If he wrote math formulas, or chemical and physics equations,
They were just cold, hard data.
After all, no one was going to tear up emotionally while looking at 1+1=2.
Shaking his head, Minami pushed aside those useless thoughts and focused on the blank manuscript paper in front of him.
With LV4, his writing ability was practically at a master level,
Which meant that no matter what he wrote,
It would absolutely crush anything the other students at Shuka High could produce.
But since he had already promised Okano Ryoko,
Minami wasn't planning to half-ass it.
"Let's see..."
Gazing at the blank manuscript paper,
Minami began recalling memories from his previous timeline's simulation with Chisato Nishikigi and Takina Inoue.
He remembered clearly—
According to the system's evaluation,
His writing skill after winning Japan's top literary award, the Naoki Prize,
Was about LV4.
It wasn't until much later in life,
After experiencing the deaths of Chisato and Takina,
That his writing skill—refined by time, grief, and a deep understanding of life and death—
Finally reached LV5.
Logically speaking—
If he wanted to use his best work,
He should choose something from his LV5 era.
However—
"Yeah… that's not gonna work."
Minami shook his head and sighed.
His LV5 writing was simply too mature,
Radiating an otherworldly calmness, like a monk who had transcended worldly desires.
Life and death.
The continuity of existence and love.
All of his works from that era grappled with profound philosophical themes.
His writing was so refined, so polished to perfection,
That there was no way a high school student could have written it.
Clearly—
It wouldn't fit a youthful, energetic school magazine like Shuka Magazine.
So, thinking from a different angle—
"If my late-life works won't do… then what about my youth-era works?"
Minami muttered to himself.
In his youth,
When he first won Japan's top youth literary award, the Akutagawa Prize,
He was still full of ambition.
Later, he took the Naoki Prize using his plain, straightforward prose,
Officially cementing himself as the most influential young author of his generation.
So, what were his works like back then?
Minami pondered for a moment—
And quickly reached a conclusion.
"This could work."
Yes.
It was a perfect fit.
His youth-era writing skill was around LV4—
Which matched his current level exactly.
And at that time—
He wasn't writing about life, death, and philosophical questions yet.
Most of his works were focused on "unfulfilled love"—
Stories of "love that couldn't be realized,"
Or "two people in love who could never be together."
That kind of melancholic, emotional literature—
Was perfect for students and young readers.
In fact—
In his simulation,
His youth-era works were far more popular among younger audiences than his late-life works.
After all—
Young people loved reading about "loneliness" and "tragic romance."
"Great. Now that I've decided to use my youth-era works…"
"The next step is choosing which one."
In reality—
Minami knocked on the desk, deep in thought.
During his youth-era,
He had written a lot of works.
Because he had to take care of Chisato Nishikigi and Takina Inoue after their marriage,
During that period, Minami Shouji had accumulated a vast collection of manuscripts—
Including novels, short stories, and essays.
Although none of those manuscripts had ever been officially published,
Considering that his youth-era self had already reached LV4, a top-tier level in the literary world…
Even if he randomly picked one of those casual drafts,
It would still be enough to utterly crush the so-called "literary prodigies" of that time.
"Hmm... Let's go with this one."
After searching through his memories for a while,
Minami finally locked onto a short story he had been particularly satisfied with.
"The Girl Hidden Within the Azalea Fields."
The story followed a male protagonist who, one day,
Encounters the female lead, Komako, in a stunning field of azaleas in the countryside.
After spending a fulfilling, joyous vacation together,
The protagonist returns to the bustling city.
Surrounded by the overwhelming loneliness of urban life,
He finds himself constantly longing for the passionate, radiant girl he met,
As if she were a blossoming azalea herself.
But being emotionally detached,
He doesn't understand what his feelings truly mean.
Until one day—
An elderly man tells him,
"That's love. You've deeply fallen in love with that girl."
Only then does he realize his emotions.
In a desperate frenzy,
He boards a train back to the azalea fields where they first met.
But by then—
It was already too late.
The azalea fields remained—
Still blooming in silent beauty—
But Komako's figure had long vanished.
As the sunset bathed the landscape in golden hues,
He seemed to hallucinate her presence.
Just like in the original passage—
"As he steadied himself and looked up, it felt as if the sunset had crashed down upon his heart with a resounding roar, filling his lost and helpless soul."
"Lost! Gone! Never to return!"
"Why are you here?"
"To see you."
The entire piece was steeped in a poetic, romantic atmosphere.
A simple yet heartfelt story.
One that could move readers deeply,
Leaving them with an emotional aftertaste.
Minami closed his eyes, quietly reviewing the details.
Then, he nodded.
"This is perfect."
Yes.
Absolutely perfect.
"The Girl Hidden Within the Azalea Fields" had a word count of approximately 15,000 to 17,000 characters.
It was just the right length.
Not too short, like a casual magazine column.
Nor too long, like a full-fledged novel spanning hundreds of pages.
If formatted on A4-sized paper,
It would take up around four to five pages—
Which was ideal for Shuka Magazine.
After all—
They couldn't have every submission taking up a dozen pages.
"Let's get started."
With the theme and plot decided,
All that was left was to put pen to paper.
Minami picked up his pencil and began writing—
Word by word, line by line.
After about an hour or so—
[Your skill "Writing (Romantic)" has improved slightly. Current level: LV4.]
"Phew... I think that's enough for today."
Looking at the 3,000 to 4,000 characters he had already written,
Minami let out a deep breath.
An hour's worth of writing—
Even for him, he wasn't a printing machine.
Handwriting 3,000 to 4,000 characters was already his limit.
Not to mention—
He had to double-check for mistakes and fix phrasing issues along the way…
It naturally took some time.
"I'll finish the rest tomorrow."
Glancing at the clock—
It was already around 11 PM.
Without hesitation, Minami put down his pencil.
At this pace,
If he set aside some time tomorrow,
He should be able to finish the entire novel.
As for now—
"Time to sleep!"
There was no rush.
With two whole weeks before the deadline,
He had more than enough time.
With that thought—
Minami laid down on his bed,
And soon drifted into a deep sleep.
The Next Day.
As he entered class,
His classmates stared at him in confusion.
Because for some reason—
Minami had brought a stack of manuscript paper to school.
What the hell was the "Great Demon King Minami" up to?
Not only was he writing during breaks—
Even during some of the less important classes,
He kept his manuscript paper close,
Burying his head in writing.
What the hell is going on?
Did the Great Demon King suddenly switch gears and become a literary youth?
No one understood.
But at the same time—
No one dared to ask.
They could only watch in silence
As Minami arrived with blank manuscript paper in the morning,
And left in the afternoon with pages filled with words.
"Almost done."
Holding the thick stack of manuscript paper in his hands,
Minami Shouji let out a deep breath.
Not having a computer is such a hassle.
Handwriting was not only slow, but it also wasted money and time.
However—
Since he had been writing non-stop all day,
His progress was definitely something to be proud of.
"The Girl Hidden Within the Azalea Fields" was nearly finished.
Only the final scene remained—
Where the protagonist, unable to find Komako, begins to hallucinate her presence.
That scene would take about 1,000 to 2,000 characters,
Or roughly one and a half pages of manuscript paper.
It wouldn't take too long to complete.
As per his usual habit—
Of preparing extra meals for the staff at STARRY,
Minami walked into the live house,
Scanning the empty space with a glance.
Where is everyone?
For some reason—
STARRY was completely empty.
"Oh well. Might as well go buy some ingredients."
Casually opening the fridge,
Minami took one look inside and immediately reached a conclusion—
"Yeah, I need to restock."
Recently, the food supply was disappearing way too fast.
Between Seika Ijichi, PA-san, Nijika Ijichi, Ikuyo Kita, Hitori Gotoh, and Ryo Yamada—
Their appetites had clearly increased.
What used to last three days now barely lasted one.
Are these girls not afraid of gaining weight?
Minami thought to himself.
Still—
He casually placed his manuscript, "The Girl Hidden Within the Azalea Fields," on the counter,
Then left STARRY without hesitation.
As for the reimbursement for the groceries—
That would have to wait until Seika Ijichi returned.
With that thought,
Minami headed toward the Shimo-Kitazawa supermarket.
Just a few minutes after he left—
The silent STARRY suddenly erupted into chaos.
Bursting through the entrance was a rowdy four-person group—
Seika Ijichi, Kikuri Hiroi, PA-san, and Hitori Gotoh.
"Huh—?! Performing at the cultural festival?! Bocchi?! You've already decided?!"
The slurring, half-drunk woman with purple-red hair,
Speaking in a mumbling, unclear voice,
Was named Kikuri Hiroi.
She was not only Seika Ijichi's junior from university,
But also a bassist for a well-known band in Shinjuku,
Just like Ryo Yamada.
For Hitori Gotoh, meeting someone like her was completely unexpected.
At this moment—
Kikuri had one arm draped around Bocchi's shoulders,
Downing gulps of alcohol while grinning and teasing—
"Didn't expect you to finally step up, Bocchi! That's awesome! Youth! Come on, Seika-senpai! Have a drink with me to celebrate! YO!"
"Like hell I'm drinking with you, you drunkard!"
Watching Kikuri stumble toward her,
Seika kicked her away in disgust.
Then she turned to Hitori, looking genuinely surprised.
"Still, Bocchi… You actually volunteered to perform at the festival? That's rare. Any special reason?"
Yes.
If Ikuyo Kita had been the one to suggest the Kessoku Band cultural festival performance,
Seika wouldn't have thought twice about it.
But Hitori Gotoh?
That was a completely different story.
After all—
When she first started working at STARRY,
She couldn't even serve drinks to customers properly.
"I-I… I just… wanted to give it a try."
Hitori lowered her head, her voice small and hesitant.
She was too embarrassed to admit—
That she was only doing this to impress a certain guy.
"I see. That's great."
While locking Kikuri in a chokehold to stop her from rambling about drinking,
Seika glanced at Hitori.
Honestly—
Even if Hitori didn't say anything,
Seika could already guess the reason for her sudden change in attitude.
It was most likely—
"Minami Shouji?"
PA-san's voice suddenly called out from behind the counter.
Both Seika and Kikuri immediately turned toward her.
"Huh? Minami? What about him, PA?"
Seika instinctively released Kikuri and asked.
"Oh… nothing. He just left something here."
PA-san neatly stacked the manuscript paper on the counter,
Tilting her head as she read the title aloud—
"'The Girl Hidden Within the Azalea Fields'—Minami Shouji… Is this a novel?"
"Ah… that…"
Hitori hesitated before explaining.
"Our school just announced the call for submissions for Shuka Magazine today… Minami-senpai is probably preparing something for that."
Compared to PA-san, who was an outsider to the school,
Hitori Gotoh immediately thought of the announcement she had seen that morning at Shuka High.
She hesitated, then raised her hand, her face flushed red as she answered.
"Oh...? This Minami-senpai... is a guy?"
Noticing the faint blush on Hitori's cheeks,
The carefree and easygoing Kikuri Hiroi perked up with interest,
Her eyes narrowing playfully as she grinned.
"Uh... well..."
Hitori opened her mouth, but no words came out.
"By the way, what did he write about? I'm curious. Can I take a look?"
"Stop right there, you idiot."
Seeing Kikuri Hiroi snatch Minami Shouji's manuscript from PA-san's hands and begin flipping through it,
Seika Ijichi immediately stepped forward to stop her.
However—
Before Seika could even react,
She was already frozen in place.
Because she saw it—
The expression on Kikuri Hiroi's face,
Which had started out playful and indifferent,
Was now changing.
From casual curiosity…
To serious focus…
And then—
Tears in her eyes?!
Wait… what?
Watching Kikuri Hiroi's nose twitching,
As snot began dripping,
Seika, Nijika Ijichi, PA-san, and Hitori Gotoh all fell silent.
They didn't even know how to react.
A novel written by a high schooler...
And yet—
This twenty-something adult was already on the verge of breaking down?