Chapter 34: Some Past Memories

The clubroom door swung open.

"Hahaha! I never expected to meet you here!"

The trench coat-wearing boy spoke in an overly dramatic, chuunibyou tone.

Around him, countless sheets of paper with handwritten words fluttered through the air.

"I have been waiting for you, Hachiman Hikigaya!"

With his arms crossed, he struck a cool pose.

Hachiman Hikigaya let out a deep sigh.

"Why are all my friends so weird…?"

Yukinoshita Yukino spoke up. "You know him?"

Hachiman turned his head and, with obvious disdain, replied,

"Nope. And even if I did, I'd pretend I didn't."

This dramatic trench coat-wearing guy was Yoshiteru Zaimokuza.

Because his name resembled that of a samurai from the Sengoku period, he had fully embraced the identity of a warrior-poet.

Coincidentally, Hachiman's name also bore a resemblance to a historical figure, leading Zaimokuza to forcibly consider him a comrade-in-arms.

After an intense brainwave-fueled chuunibyou exchange, Zaimokuza finally revealed his true reason for coming.

He needed help with his novel.

Everyone sat in a circle.

Zaimokuza spoke seriously, "This is the manuscript for my light novel. I plan to submit it to a newcomer's competition, but… I don't really have any friends to give me feedback. So, I wanted to ask all of you for your opinions."

Yet another person with no friends.

Yukinoshita Yukino rubbed her forehead.

"You just casually said something incredibly sad, didn't you?"

Ren Asakura chuckled.

"A light novel, huh? Now that you mention it… I think I wrote one a long time ago."

Ren Asakura recalled a few years back.

By then, he had already become a sage. Upon ascending to that status, his mind had been unlocked, and every memory was now crystal clear.

To test the limits of his newly enhanced memory, he had naturally followed the classic isekai "copy-paste author" routine.

At the time, Ren Asakura thought it was pretty fun.

Being a writer seemed so cool.

So, he began copying some of the classics from his past life.

Copying and copying… and then he caught the disease that plagues all authors.

Hiatus. Lack of motivation. Gaming addiction. Endless excuses. Ghosting readers…

Eventually, he just gave up completely.

Since the stories he copied were all massively popular in his past life, they naturally became huge hits in this world as well.

But then came the delays, the hiatuses, and the eventual abandonment.

His devoted readers, in their boundless love, gave him an affectionate nickname:

"The Old Thief!!"

What a beautiful title!

Some were even ready to send him to the palace… permanently.

"Ah… brings back memories."

Ren Asakura couldn't help but smile.

Hachiman Hikigaya frowned.

"If you want feedback, why not just post it on a novel website?"

Yoshiteru Zaimokuza grimaced.

"Those people are too ruthless! If I receive harsh criticism, I might just—end it all!"

Hachiman sighed.

"Your mental fortitude is shockingly weak… but honestly, I think Yukinoshita would be even harsher."

And so, everyone took home a copy of the manuscript to read.

Ren Asakura only needed a single glance to absorb everything.

The story was filled with glaring logic gaps, random plot points, and even contradictions.

Not to mention an alarming number of typos.

It was exactly what you'd expect from a newbie's first-ever self-indulgent novel.

After getting home, Ren Asakura opened up his cheat system.

"I've been enjoying my youthful school life for a while now… I should check in with my underlings."

[Group Leader Ren Asakura]:

"Did anyone miss their almighty group leader? Anyone in danger?"

[Lu Mingfei]:

"Long time no see, Leader! No real dangers for now. Before the main plot starts, things are pretty normal for me—just your average high school drama. I quit the Literature Club and joined the Kendo Club instead. Now, I live by the sacred code: 'No women, only the blade!'"

[Minato Namikaze]:

"Ah, school… I graduated from the Ninja Academy at 12, so I never had a normal school life. But those days were definitely fun. Anyway, as long as the Nine-Tails Incident hasn't happened yet, I doubt I'll run into any major trouble."

[Saitama]:

"Same as always. Just beating up monsters and hunting for supermarket discounts."

[Yoriichi Tsugikuni]:

"Nothing on my end either, Leader. Lady Tamayo has successfully developed a cure to turn demons back into humans. So, the whole demon problem has been completely resolved."

[Group Leader Ren Asakura]:

"Wow, peace everywhere! I'm just out here enjoying my high school slice-of-life too. If you guys ever run into anything you can't handle, just tag me!"

[Lu Mingfei]:

"Enjoying high school life?"

[Group Leader Ren Asakura]:

"Why not? Just because I'm the group leader doesn't mean I can't have some fun! Play the music, keep the party going!"

[Lu Mingfei]:

"Somehow… I don't quite believe you."

[Group Leader Ren Asakura]:

"Look, I may be insanely strong, but at the end of the day, I'm still just a second-year high school student. Isn't it perfectly normal to enjoy my youth and school life? You wanna visit my world? It's super peaceful here."

[Lu Mingfei]:

"Hmm… I do wanna check it out, but I have school. I won't be free until the next long vacation."

[Minato Namikaze]:

"Same here, Leader. I can't leave right now. There's some tension in the village—Danzo seems to have noticed that I'm trying to bring the Uchiha Clan closer, and the Elder Council has been subtly pressuring me."

[Group Leader Ren Asakura]:

"If things go south, count me in. I'll have your back."

[Minato Namikaze]:

"Got it!"

[Saitama]:

"I don't have much going on lately. Maybe I should visit?"

[Ren Asakura]:

"Sure, sure! But no rampaging. My world is ultra-peaceful—it can't handle your casual devastation."

[Saitama]:

"No problem, Leader. I am a hero, after all. By the way… do you cover food and lodging? Because, uh… I'm kinda broke."

[Group Leader Ren Asakura]:

"Of course! You're my guest—room and board are completely on me."

[Yoriichi Tsugikuni]:

"A truly peaceful world, huh?"

[Group Leader Ren Asakura]:

"That's right. No demons, no supernatural disasters—just ordinary people living normal lives. Sure, there are some conflicts, but overall, this era is incredibly peaceful. A regular person can live their whole life without experiencing anything too crazy."

[Yoriichi Tsugikuni]:

"I'd like to see it for myself."

[Group Leader Ren Asakura]:

"No problem! Come on over! I bet you've never experienced modern society before. As your host, I'll make sure you have an amazing time!"

[Lu Mingfei]:

"Ugh, I'm so jealous! I wanna go too!"

[Group Leader Ren Asakura]:

"Focus on your studies, buddy. Enjoy your high school daily life!"

[Lu Mingfei]:

"What's there to enjoy? My high school life sucks."

[Group Leader Ren Asakura]:

"Don't worry, just endure it. At least you have college to look forward to… Oh wait, that's even worse."

[Lu Mingfei]:

"Ouch. That hurt. Please comfort me."

[Group Leader Ren Asakura]:

"At best, I'll start a live stream—you can watch me having fun."

[Minato Namikaze]:

"That doesn't sound too bad!"

°°°

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