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MSB – Chapter 1 – The best job in the world

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Bab 1: Pekerjaan terbaik di dunia

Penerjemah: Skythewood
Editor: Rockgollem, Frozen Raw disediakan oleh: Ice Phantom

"Ao, apakah kamu suka membaca?"

"Iya nih! Saya sangat menyukainya!"

Maka, Ao mulai bekerja secara diam-diam.

Itu terjadi ketika liburan musim panas tahun keduanya di sekolah menengah berakhir, dipenuhi dengan suara jangkrik yang bising.

Tiga tahun kemudian…

"Untuk liburan minggu emas tahun ini, aku akan mengikuti sempais-ku dari klub musik ringan dan mengadakan tur konser luar ruangan."

“Aku akan pergi berkemah dengan orang-orang yang aku temui di kencan Grup! Ada seorang gadis yang ingin saya bujuk di sana, saya akan bekerja keras! "

"Itu bagus. Orang tua saya menemukan beberapa teman di situs web pemandian air panas, jadi saya akan dipaksa oleh keluarga saya untuk ikut dalam perjalanan pemandian air panas. Saya sudah berada di sekolah menengah, tetapi saya masih perlu mendengarkan ayah saya memberikan khotbahnya tentang pemujaan mata air panasnya. Rasanya sangat hampa. Saya juga ingin pergi bersama teman-teman saya. ”

"… Aku akan pergi ke taman hiburan, akuarium dan menonton film dengan pacarku."

"Apa!? Dasar normie! Dan mengapa kamu mengerutkan kening, membuat ‘kencan benar-benar merepotkan’ !? Apakah kamu mengejekku? ”

“Sialan, aku juga ingin punya pacar! Saya ingin memiliki kencan intim selama minggu emas! "

Sehari sebelum sekolah istirahat untuk minggu emas, di kelas 2 sekolah menengah pertama Hatori, semua orang dengan penuh semangat mendiskusikan rencana liburan mereka.

"Apa rencanamu, Ao?"

Ketika dia mendengar pertanyaan teman sekelasnya, Ao Kazetani yang sedang memasukkan buku pelajarannya ke dalam tasnya menjawab dengan riang:

"Saya? Saya akan bersantai di rumah. "

Teman sekelas yang berdiskusi dengan semangat tinggi tiba-tiba terdiam, lalu semua orang berbicara sedikit panik:

"Apakah begitu? Itu hebat, bersantai di rumah juga baik. "

“Itu benar, saya bisa menghapus tumpukan DVD saya, atau bermain video game saya, itu luar biasa.”

Semua orang menyumbang.

Teman-teman sekelas yang baru saja berkenalan dengan Ao di bulan April adalah orang-orang yang baik hati.

"Yup, aku menantikannya."

Ao memanggul ranselnya dengan senyum yang menyegarkan.

"Baiklah, sampai jumpa setelah liburan!"

Ao berlari keluar kelas dengan lambaian.

Itu benar, saya akan bersantai di rumah selama minggu emas untuk melakukan sesuatu yang menyenangkan!

Saat Ao mengendarai sepedanya, angin membawa aroma tanaman yang mulai tumbuh padanya. Sambil tersenyum, ia melewati barisan pohon sakura, dan membuka pintu tempat tinggal dua lantai yang normal.

"Saya pulang!"

Datang suara yang hidup.

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"Selamat datang kembali Ao, paket dari penerbit ada di sini."

Ibunya menjulurkan kepalanya keluar dari dapur.

"Terimakasih Ibu!"

Ao menjawab dengan antusias, matanya sudah tertuju pada kardus yang tertumpuk di samping pintu masuk. Ada tiga kotak! Masing-masing dari mereka diisi sampai penuh, membuat kotak menonjol. Kotak-kotak kardus cokelat polos itu sepertinya memancarkan aura yang tenang dan suci. Sudut-sudut mulut Ao terangkat ketika dia memandanginya dengan mata berbinar-binar.

Campuran rasa hormat dan antisipasi memenuhi dadanya, dia merasa seolah-olah dia berangkat untuk petualangan yang tidak diketahui.

Ao melepas sepatunya dengan gesit sambil berdiri, dan dengan ranselnya masih di pundaknya, dia mengangkat salah satu kotak. Itu berat seperti yang terlihat. Itu sangat berat untuk lengan ramping Ao, saat dia membawa kotak-kotak itu ke tangga dan naik perlahan. Ketika dia sampai di kamarnya, dia memutar pegangan pintu sambil membawa sebuah kotak, membenturkannya dengan bahu ramping dan masuk. Dengan suara keras, dia meletakkan kotak dan tasnya di atas karpet dan terengah-engah dengan gembira. Dia kemudian berjalan turun dan membawa dua kotak lainnya ke kamarnya dengan cara yang sama.

Tiga kotak diletakkan berdampingan di kamarnya, dan Ao memandanginya dengan antisipasi yang disucikan.

"Baik."

Dia bergumam pada dirinya sendiri dengan penuh semangat dan membuka kotak pertama.

Manifes pengiriman dengan kata-kata ‘Naskah Kontes Pendatang Baru Thirteenthenth Elysion Publishing (No. 220 ~ 240) was ditempelkan ke dalam kotak. Ao merobek selotip yang menutupi tepi kotak yang menggembung dan membukanya. Di dalam kotak itu ada tumpukan naskah di dalam kantong kertas atau paket pos. Semuanya sudah dibuka.

Baru-baru ini, banyak penerbit mengambil manuskrip dari surat-surat dan hanya mengirim manuskrip. Beberapa kali, jika kontes hanya menerima pengiriman online, penerbit akan mencetak naskah sebelum mengirimnya ke Ao.

Pekerjaan yang ia ambil dari penerbit bulan lalu mengiriminya laptop untuk membaca naskah. Softcopy kiriman sudah dipasang di dalam, dan dia bisa terus menilai karya-karya bahkan jika dia tidak di rumah. Pengaturan seperti itu benar-benar nyaman, dan dia merasa tersentuh oleh peningkatan teknologi.

Metode membaca yang berada di garis depan teknologi ini tidak buruk, tetapi Ao masih lebih suka melakukan hal-hal seperti ini. Melihat tumpukan naskah dengan berbagai ukuran dan format itu seperti melihat ekspresi penulisnya sendiri. Pengirim dari sekolah menengah menggunakan font kecil untuk mengisi kertas B5 dengan kata-kata mungkin melakukannya untuk menghemat uang karena tunjangan terbatas mereka. Ini membuat Ao tersenyum.

Tentu saja, font yang terlalu kecil akan membuatnya sulit dibaca, bahkan jika ceritanya adalah masterpiece. Selalu, itu akan mengarah pada screener yang fokus pada membuat kata-kata dan mempengaruhi penghakiman. Sayang sekali, jadi akan lebih baik untuk mencetaknya dalam ukuran font yang mudah dibaca.

Pertama, Ao mengeluarkan amplop ukuran A4 yang dicetak dengan nama perusahaan penerbit dan mengekstraksi surat itu.

‘Untuk semua penyaring,

Memo pada tahap pertama Kontes Pendatang Baru Thirteenth Elysion Publishing '

Sisa surat itu mencantumkan poin-poin penekanan, jumlah pengajuan kasar untuk melanjutkan melewati tahap pertama, dan cara untuk mengisi lembar evaluasi.

Ada juga lembar contoh evaluasi, nomor seri kiriman dalam kotak, daftar nama penulis dan judul naskah.

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Detak jantungnya meningkat ketika dia melihat daftar judul, dan harapan Ao mencapai puncaknya dalam sekejap.

'Setelah Mati dan Pergi ke Neraka, Lima Pengantin Menunggu Aku', sebuah judul klise, tetapi itu membuatku ingin membacanya. 'Mutiara di Akhir Semesta', mungkin kisah fiksi ilmiah, terasa menyenangkan dan menyenangkan, seperti sebuah karya yang akan membuat para pembaca menangis. ‘The Lamb-Like Girl (Fluffy)’ adalah komedi romantis yang hangat dan lembut bukan? Saya ingin membacanya! 'Kisah Jenius di Ruang Terkunci', judul yang menarik dan langsung, ini pasti kisah detektif. Drop Putus Sekolah, Peka Aku Memiliki Cheat, Tiba di Dunia Alternatif Ketiga dan Mendapatkan Pacarku yang Ketiga ’, tampaknya sangat menyenangkan.

Beragam cerita imajinatif membuat Ao tersenyum.

Ao sedang menyaring kiriman untuk tahap pertama Kontes Novel Newcomer Light.

Ada segala macam definisi untuk novel ringan, tetapi biasanya, mengacu pada buku-buku dengan sampul gaya manga dan ilustrasi, bahan bacaan ringan yang menargetkan pembaca remaja. Dalam sepuluh tahun terakhir, jumlah penerbit novel ringan telah meningkat dengan kecepatan tinggi, dengan lebih dari seratus buku baru dijual di toko-toko ritel setiap bulan. Mereka dipasarkan baik untuk pria atau wanita, dengan lebih dari dua puluh serialisasi berfokus secara eksklusif pada penerbitan novel ringan.

Sebagian besar serialisasi mencakup kontes Pendatang Baru, dan jumlah pengiriman meningkat setiap tahun. Jumlah pengajuan untuk satu kontes seperti itu bahkan menembus seribu sebelumnya.

Dan tentu saja, penulis terkenal pada tahap terakhir dari proses seleksi tidak dapat membaca semua naskah. Itu sebabnya 90% dari naskah akan disaring, dan 10% dari pengiriman akan berlanjut ke tahap kedua. Rasionya sekitar satu dari sepuluh. Rasio ini berubah tergantung pada serialisasi. Jika ada kebutuhan untuk membiarkan lebih banyak pekerjaan melewati babak kedua, mereka bisa membuat beberapa penyesuaian. Mengizinkan dua dari sepuluh untuk maju ke babak kedua – atau pada kesempatan yang sangat jarang, membuka gerbang banjir dengan membiarkan tiga melewatinya.

Naskah yang berhasil melewati babak pertama akan diteruskan ke babak kedua dari penyaringan. Banyak penerbit membiarkan editor mereka mengambil alih bagian ini. Dan yang terakhir, pemilihan putaran ketiga dan terakhir akan menentukan karya yang memenangkan kontes.

Ao bertanggung jawab atas seleksi tahap pertama. Yang dengan kuantitas paling dan kualitas terendah.

Skrining termasuk penulis saat ini yang bekerja di penerbit, penulis dari bidang lain, staf dari departemen dukungan editorial, orang yang bekerja di industri terkait yang diperkenalkan kepada mereka, dan ibu rumah tangga yang merupakan pembaca profesional.

Namun, Ao mungkin satu-satunya screener yang bukan penulis, editor, atau bekerja di industri terkait, tetapi hanya seorang siswa sekolah menengah biasa.

Ao pertama kali belajar tentang keberadaan pekerjaan penyaringan novel ringan, dan mendapatkan uang dengan melakukan hal itu tiga tahun lalu ─ selama liburan musim panas sekolah menengah kedua.

Itu terjadi suatu sore ketika Agustus hampir berakhir, ia mengunjungi pamannya yang tinggal di sebuah kondominium diagonal di seberang rumahnya.

── Paman Saku, aku menyelesaikan buku yang kau pinjamkan padaku. Tolong pinjami saya yang baru.

Sakutarou adalah adik dari ibu Ao, dan saat itu berusia dua puluh sembilan tahun. Dia membentuk sebuah klub yang membuat novel visual R18 ketika dia masih di sekolah, yang menerima sambutan hangat setelah membagikannya dari mulut ke mulut. Setelah ditahan selama empat tahun, ia keluar dari universitas dan membuka perusahaannya sendiri, mulai mengerjakan produksi game dengan serius. Proyek pertama menerima ulasan yang lebih baik, dan ditulis ulang menjadi anime dua kali. Dari suara ini, dia tampak menjadi individu yang berbakat, penuh semangat dan hasrat. Namun ── mengesampingkan bakat Sakutarou, setiap kali Ao membawa piring yang dibuat ibunya untuk pamannya, ini adalah pemandangan yang dilihatnya: paket kosong cangkir mie instan, bar energi dan puding berserakan di mana-mana. Manga atau DVD dengan sampul erotis ditumpuk berantakan di ruangan itu, dan seorang dewasa yang mengerikan dengan rambut acak-acakan berbaring di lantai, meraih kepalanya dan menggumamkan sesuatu.

"Mengapa saya ingat tentang tenggat waktu, saya tidak bisa memikirkan apa pun. Ahh, saya hanya akan menonton DVD terbaru 'seri guru slutty', atau terus bermain 'Penaklukan! Boobie Harem’── "

Ibu Ao bermasalah, dan mengeluh: “Anak itu berhasil masuk jurusan pendidikan universitas nasional, tetapi dia keluar setelah empat tahun, dan bahkan mulai membuat game yang membutuhkan mosaik. Karena ia memiliki kualifikasi untuk menjadi guru sekolah menengah, ia harus memasuki dunia kerja secara normal dan menjadi seorang guru. ”

“Jangan pernah memberikan game yang kamu buat ke Ao. Ao, tutup mata Anda ketika Anda mengunjungi Paman Saku, jangan melihat hal-hal cabul itu. "

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Ibunya bahkan mengajukan tuntutan yang tidak masuk akal.

Ao mengunjungi rumah Sakutarou untuk bermain sering sejak dia masih kecil.

Selain berada di dekatnya, Sakutarou adalah orang yang berpengetahuan, ceria, dan jantan, jika tidak ada tenggat waktu. Ao menyukainya, dan yang lebih penting, Sakutarou punya banyak buku di rumahnya.

Baik itu manga dengan wanita telanjang melakukan hal-hal H atau album telanjang selebriti terkenal yang direkomendasikan oleh Sakutarou, Ao tertarik pada semua ini, dan sering membalik-balik halaman dengan wajah merah dan jantung berdebar kencang. Tapi yang paling menarik perhatian Ao, adalah novel-novel ringan yang memiliki tokoh wanita yang lucu dan protagonis pria yang keren di sampulnya.

Secara alami, Ao suka membaca, dan akan menyelesaikan buku teks bahasa dan sejarah nasional untuk tahun ajaran sekolah pada hari dia mendapatkannya. Semua karya sastra di perpustakaan sekolah, fiksi ilmiah asing, dan buku-buku detektif yang bisa dia temukan sudah dibaca. Semuanya menarik.

Pertama kali dia membaca novel ringan di tempat Sakutarou, dia menemukan itu lebih menarik dibandingkan dengan buku-buku lain, seolah-olah itu dirancang khusus untuknya. Karakter utamanya hampir selalu siswa sekolah menengah, dialog ditulis seperti bagaimana dia akan berbicara dalam kehidupan sehari-hari, yang selaras dengan Ao. Isi dari novel-novel itu adalah subyek yang dia minati dan dia selalu merasa cerita-cerita itu ditulis hanya untuknya.

Selain itu, latar ceritanya sangat liberal. Apa pun bisa terjadi di dunia novel ringan.

Sebagai contoh, seorang siswa sekolah menengah yang normal mungkin dipilih untuk menjadi pahlawan yang menyelamatkan dunia, melawan pertempuran negara adikuasa yang berkelanjutan dengan musuh-musuh yang tangguh sebelum memenangkan hari itu. Malaikat yang luar biasa cantik mungkin berkunjung tanpa pemberitahuan, dengan paksa tetap berada di samping seorang siswa sekolah menengah yang tertekan untuk menjadi istrinya. Kisah-kisah seperti itu yang menangguhkan kepercayaan namun terasa sangat nyata muncul dalam novel ringan dengan mudah. Itu membuat para pembaca percaya bahwa memang begitulah dunia ini. Seluruh pemeran karakter terlihat jelas dan penuh kepribadian.

── Paman Saku, buku ini sangat menarik.

Ao duduk di lantai dengan segunung buku yang telah selesai dia baca semakin tinggi dan semakin tinggi, dan berbicara dengan mata berbinar.

── Begitukah, itu LN.

── LN?

── Ya, singkatan dari Light Novel.

Sakutarou memberitahunya dengan senyum lebar. Ao yang langsung terjun mungkin sangat senang.

Ao mengulangi istilah yang baru dia pelajari di kepalanya dengan penuh semangat, lalu berkata dengan tegas:

── Saya suka novel ringan!

Senyum Sakutarou melebar.

"Apakah begitu? Kemudian baca lebih lanjut. Anda dapat membaca buku apa pun di tempat saya, Anda dapat meminjam buku apa pun yang Anda suka. "

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Dia bahkan merekomendasikan beberapa seri ke Ao. “Ini adalah karya agung di antara karya agung, jadi itu harus dibaca. Anda dapat mulai membaca ini dari jilid ketiga. Ada perkembangan yang tidak terduga dari bab ini, akhir cerita akan membuat Anda meratap. Adegan pertarungan di sini mendebarkan, gambar akan muncul di pikiran Anda satu demi satu. Tokoh pahlawan Kana dalam seri ini benar-benar moe, pahlawan favorit abadi saya. ”Dan seterusnya.

Ao bersenang-senang mengobrol tanpa akhir dengan Sakutarou tentang novel ringan. Setiap kali dia bebas, Ao akan mengunjungi tempat Sakutarou untuk membaca novel ringan.

Sebagai perwakilan dari sebuah perusahaan game, dan mengenakan topi untuk operasi bisnis, menulis dan manajemen proyek, Sakutarou sangat sibuk dan sering jatuh dalam keterpurukan.

“Saya tidak ingin menulis lagi! Saya belum mandi dalam lima hari, menatap monitor sepanjang hari itu tidak manusiawi! Ahh, aku akan berhenti dan hidup seperti pria. "

Sakutarou meraih kepalanya dan bergumam sesekali.

Ketika Ao menghadapi situasi seperti itu, dia dengan hati-hati meninggalkan piring yang dibawanya, meminjam beberapa buku, dan keluar dengan tenang. Lain kali dia kembali dengan buku yang selesai dia baca, dia akan melihat pamannya bersandar di kursinya dengan riang berkata: “Naskah kali ini adalah mahakarya! Agak erotis tetapi tidak terlalu banyak, dan itu akan membuat Anda menangis meski cabul. Baik? Oh tidak, saya benar-benar jenius, para pemain pasti akan menyukai permainan ini. "

Musim panas ketika Ao berada di tahun kedua sekolah menengahnya.

Hari itu, Sakutarou dalam mode dekadennya, mengenakan kemeja keriput dengan rambut berantakan dan wajah yang tidak dicukur. Setelah memenuhi ketiga faktor dekaden, ia ambruk di lantai dan menggerutu:

── Mengapa semua orang mengutarakan masalah mereka kepadaku? Aku dari seminggu yang lalu yang berkata dengan wajah dingin ‘serahkan padaku!’, Mati. Ahhhh, sama sekali tidak mungkin! Saya punya banyak tugas untuk diselesaikan, saya tidak akan berhasil tepat waktu. Saya tidak peduli tentang skrining naskah, mati saja!

── Paman Saku, aku akan menaruh Chikuzenni dan salad alpukat di lemari es. Saya akan meminjam beberapa buku juga.

Ao berbicara ketika dia mengambil novel ringan dari rak dan menumpuk buku-buku di lengannya.

── Ao ~ kamu tidak punya pekerjaan rumah ~ liburan musim panas akan berakhir dalam lima hari ~

Suara dendam datang dari belakangnya.

── Kamu mungkin sibuk ~ sekarang bukan waktunya untuk membaca novel ringan ~

Saya dikejar begitu banyak, Anda harus merasakan tekanan juga. Sakutarou mengarahkan pupilnya ke arah Ao sambil berbaring di lantai, berkata dengan nada yang mengekspresikan apa yang dia pikirkan. Ao berbicara dengan nada meminta maaf:

── Maaf Paman, aku hanya punya satu kertas fisika yang tersisa.

Mendengar jawaban Ao, Sakutarou membuka mulutnya lebar-lebar dan duduk dengan kaget.

── Apa! Siswa sekolah menengah saat ini tidak memiliki pekerjaan rumah liburan lagi? Pekerjaan rumah Anda hanya satu kertas?

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── Ada yang lain. Lima belas makalah Fisika, lima belas makalah Bahasa Nasional, lima belas makalah Studi Sosial, masing-masing buklet pertanyaan untuk Bahasa Inggris dan Matematika, satu makalah penelitian gratis dan laporan buku.

── Kamu menghabiskan semua itu?

── Ya. Saya hanya perlu melakukan satu laporan buku, tetapi saya melakukan tiga.

Melihat wajah Sakutarou berputus asa, Ao merasa bersalah dan menundukkan kepalanya. Pada saat ini, Sakutarou membenturkan kepalanya ke lantai dengan keras.

── Ahh, keponakanku yang berhubungan dengan darah, seorang siswa teladan yang merencanakan semua pekerjaannya, sungguh menjengkelkan. Sialan, kami membaca gunung novel ringan di tempat saya setiap hari, tetapi Anda masih punya waktu untuk melakukan pekerjaan rumah Anda, itu curang.

Sakutarou mengeluh dengan tidak masuk akal, lalu bangkit dengan tiba-tiba.

── Hei, Ao.

Ketika pamannya memanggilnya, Ao yang membawa banyak novel ringan di kedua tangan berdiri dengan refleks saat Sakutarou membuat ekspresi serius.

Dia menatap Ao seolah sedang mengevaluasinya dan menyipitkan matanya yang tajam. Sakutarou lalu menutup mulutnya seolah sedang memikirkan sesuatu …

Menunjukkan ekspresi yang sangat lembut, dia kemudian bertanya dengan suara hangat:

── Ao, apakah kamu suka membaca?

── Ya! Saya sangat menyukainya!"

Ao menjawab dengan senyum secara naluriah.

Karena baginya, ini bukan sesuatu yang perlu dia pertimbangkan.

Sakutarou tersenyum lebar.

── Bisakah kamu mengetik dengan keyboard?

── Aku belajar itu di sekolah.

── Bisakah kamu mengetik tanpa melihat keyboard?

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── Aku tidak terlalu buruk dalam hal itu.

── Itu cukup bagus. Ao, mau mencoba mengerjakan suatu pekerjaan? Ini adalah pekerjaan di mana Anda dapat menghasilkan uang dengan membaca novel ringan.

── Huhhhh !?

Ao bingung.

Hasilkan uang dengan membaca novel ringan, bagaimana mungkin ada pekerjaan hebat seperti itu?

Ao ingat nasihat yang selalu disebutkan ibunya, mengatakan padanya untuk tidak ditipu dan mengambil jalan jahat seperti Paman Saku-nya.

── Paman Saku, itu penipuan.

Jika ini bukan penipuan, maka mungkin Pamannya kehilangan akal karena tenggat waktu. Sakutarou tersenyum menanggapi kata-kata Ao.

── Tidak, kamu tidak tahu bahwa memang ada pekerjaan seperti itu.

Sakutarou berdiri, dan membawa kotak kardus yang sepertinya sangat berat, dan meletakkannya di hadapan Ao dengan bunyi gedebuk.

── Buka dan lihatlah.

Ao membuka kotak itu dengan ragu, dan penuh dengan paket kertas terbuka, dengan kata-kata berikut tertulis di atasnya:

‘Penerusan dari: Penerbitan Eidansha

Kepada: Departemen Kontes Pendatang Baru Bintang Sastra ke-25 ’

Kata-kata ini memasuki mata Ao dengan tiba-tiba.

Kontes Pendatang Baru!

Ao tahu bahwa penerbit novel ringan akan mengadakan Kontes Pendatang Baru secara berkala untuk pengiriman Naskah. Akhir buku akan mencakup langkah-langkah untuk mengirimkan entri Anda, dan sampul buku akan bertuliskan 'Pemenang hadiah'. Ketika Ao membaca karya-karya pemenang penghargaan seperti itu, ia akan selalu tersentuh oleh ide-ide segar dan kata-kata yang hidup.

Dan naskah entri seperti itu tepat sebelum Ao sekarang!

Pikiran bahwa naskah pemenang mungkin ada di dalam membuat tubuh Ao memanas, dan jantungnya berdetak kencang.

── Baca entri, menilai jika mereka dapat diteruskan ke tahap seleksi berikutnya, pekerjaan ini dikenal sebagai ‘screening’. Karena saya selalu kekurangan dana untuk proyek-proyek saya, ini memungkinkan saya mendapatkan uang cepat dan memahami keinginan para pemain dengan melihat apa mode saat ini, membunuh dua burung dengan satu batu. Jadi saya mengatakan kepada seorang editor yang saya kenal: "Jika Anda memiliki pekerjaan penyaringan naskah, berikan kepada saya, saya baik-baik saja dengan sejumlah naskah, dan saya akan selesai dengan batas waktu." Sangat bagus bahwa saya mendapatkan pekerjaan itu, tetapi pekerjaan produksi gim saya yang sebenarnya mencapai tenggat waktu segera, jadi saya tidak punya mood atau waktu untuk membacanya.

Sakutarou berkata sambil menatap intens pada Ao, lalu bertepuk tangan dan memohon.

── Ao, tolong baca untukku, aku akan memberimu seluruh gaji untuk pekerjaan ini.

Melihat Pamannya menundukkan kepalanya, Ao akhirnya sadar dan berkata dengan panik:

── Hah, tapi aku hanya seorang siswa sekolah menengah, apa tidak masalah bagiku untuk menerima pekerjaan yang diterima Paman Saku? Bukankah staf penerbit akan marah?

── Akan baik-baik saja jika kita tidak memberi tahu mereka. Dan saya hanya bertanya karena itu Anda. Anda membaca semua buku di backlog saya, dan ketika saya meminta ulasan Anda, saya merasa Anda memahaminya lebih baik daripada saya. Itu mengesankan, jadi saya merasa bahwa Ao pasti bisa melakukannya. Ah, Anda harus mengisi lembar evaluasi setelah menyaring naskah, tetapi hanya cerita yang berhasil sampai ke tahap kedua yang akan menerima surat komentar yang ditulis oleh editor, sehingga apa yang Anda tulis tidak akan diposting ke pengirim. Itu hanya untuk referensi internal, jadi tulis apa pun yang ada dalam pikiran, saya akan membaca semuanya sebelum saya mengirimkannya ke penerbit.

── Lembar komentar?

── Lihat, ini adalah lembar evaluasi. Satu-satunya bagian yang perlu Anda tulis adalah kotak ulasan keseluruhan, ini adalah jenis yang paling mudah untuk diisi. Dengan berbagai serialisasi, ada beberapa yang memerlukan jumlah kata minimum untuk setiap bagian, lembar evaluasi seperti itu juga umum.

Sakutarou menunjukkan kepada Ao lembar evaluasi sampel, dibagi menjadi cerita, pengaturan karakter, tulisan, orisinalitas dan potensi komersial, dengan nilai A hingga C untuk setiap bagian. Ada kolom ‘Tinjauan Umum’ di bagian paling bawah, dan perlu diisi dengan kritik khusus. Di bagian paling atas adalah kotak bertanda 'keseluruhan', naskah membutuhkan nilai dari A ke B + untuk maju ke babak seleksi berikutnya.

Standar untuk penilaian dinyatakan pada sampel. A adalah karya yang memiliki potensi untuk diterbitkan, A- dan B + memiliki masalah, tetapi masih merupakan karya yang menarik.

Manuskrip Kontes Pendatang Baru sepertinya menarik, saya benar-benar ingin membacanya. Tetapi membiarkan siswa sekolah menengah mengambil pekerjaan yang dimaksudkan untuk Paman Saku tidak terdengar baik. Mengisi lembar evaluasi tidak seperti laporan buku. Terlalu menyedihkan bagi manuskrip yang ditulis seseorang dengan segala upayanya untuk dibaca oleh siswa sekolah menengah. Mungkin ada karya agung di antara naskah yang disaring oleh saya, yang mungkin tidak membuat potongan karena penilaian saya yang buruk.

Ao menolak Sakutarou, tetapi Sakutarou berkata:

── Aku mengerti, lalu bantu aku mengkategorikan mereka: Naskah yang pasti tidak akan sampai pada tahap seleksi kedua, dan yang mungkin berhasil sampai ke tahap kedua! Melakukan hal itu akan sangat membantu! Saya akan membaca naskah yang tidak dapat dinilai oleh Ao.

Didorong oleh permohonan Sakutarou yang putus asa, Ao mulai membaca naskah.

Faktanya, meskipun dia dipenuhi dengan kegelisahan dan rasa bersalah, Ao masih ingin membaca kotak yang penuh dengan naskah.

Dan begitu dia mulai membaca, dia benar-benar lupa waktu.

Dibandingkan dengan karya-karya yang diterbitkan, ada perbedaan yang sangat besar.

Menulis ambigu, acara yang dipaksakan, karakter dengan kepribadian yang terus berubah dan dialog yang tidak perlu yang mengganggu.

Tapi, ini sangat menarik.

Dia bisa merasakan kesederhanaan dalam penggunaan kata yang canggung. Kisah-kisah yang kacau balau terasa menyegarkan. Pengaturan karakter yang tidak konsisten membuatnya tertawa. Potongan-potongan obrolan yang tidak berhubungan dengan cerita itu seperti mendengarkan keluhan teman-temannya, yang memberinya perasaan hangat.

Naskah-naskah ini sangat menarik.

Dia belum pernah membaca novel yang tidak lengkap dan kacau yang membuatnya ingin membalas begitu banyak! Cacat, berantakan, disengaja, penuh dengan cerita celah yang tampak seperti versi bajakan yang dipengaruhi oleh karya-karya terkenal lainnya, tidak mungkin untuk diterbitkan. Tetapi mereka dipenuhi dengan gairah yang sulit untuk digambarkan dengan kata-kata. Dia tidak tahu cerita seperti itu ada di dunia!

Penuh dengan kekurangan, tetapi sangat menarik.

Ao menggunakan laptop dan mengisi lembar evaluasi: Story C, Setting karakter B, Writing C, Orisinalitas C, Komersialisasi B, Keseluruhan C +. C bekerja dengan masalah yang jelas, B adalah entri dengan beberapa standar.

Dasar untuk menilai apakah suatu karya dapat mencapai tahap kedua sangat jelas. Naskah ini tidak dapat membuatnya. Itu belum matang sebagai sebuah karya. Apakah ada kemungkinan di masa depan? Sulit untuk menjawab ya juga. Sekarang bukan waktunya untuk main-main. Pengaturan klise dan perkembangan cerita yang berantakan, itu hanya cerita lama dengan perubahan kosmetik.

Tapi, mengapa ini sangat menarik?

Saya melihat pengaturan ini sekarang juga! Pahlawan tersebut memiliki ekor kembar pirang dan mata seperti kucing. Cara dia menyilangkan tangannya sama seperti pahlawan yang saya baca sebelumnya! Saat membaca naskah ini, tidak ada emosi yang menyebalkan dari 'Ini lagi !?', tapi bersemangat 'Dia ada di sini lagi!'.

Membaca novel yang belum selesai sangat menggembirakan.

Apa yang akan saya baca selanjutnya? Dan selanjutnya? Dan setelah itu?

Ao tidak bisa berhenti, dan mengambil satu demi satu naskah untuk dibaca.

Dia duduk di lantai penuh dengan paket nutrisi jeli, lalu mengambil setumpuk kertas dengan klip besar di sisi kanan halaman. Ao berpikir dengan cemas: Kata-katanya sulit dibaca, aku akan membalik halaman sebaik mungkin tanpa mengeluarkan klipnya. Dia kemudian membaca.

Ketika dia mulai membaca naskah kelima, Ao terkejut dengan cara yang berbeda dari sebelumnya.

Orang ini luar biasa!

Beberapa baris pertama membuat Ao membuka matanya lebar-lebar. Jika dia menikmati musik canggung yang dilakukan oleh siswa sekolah dasar sebelumnya, mengagumi gerakan kekanak-kanakan mereka dan ekspresi yang ditentukan, maka ini seperti pemain dewasa yang muncul, dan memainkan instrumennya dengan lancar dengan ekspresi dingin.

Tulisannya jelas, dan pilihan kata-kata tepat, meninggalkan kesan di benak pembaca dengan cepat. Wahh, saya suka ritme ini. Tokoh-tokohnya tidak memiliki kepribadian yang kuat dan merasa aneh di beberapa tempat, tetapi pahlawannya polos dan imut.

Dia terkesan sampai halaman terakhir, Ao bergumam pada dirinya sendiri ketika dia menyelesaikan pekerjaan dan memberikan nilai A keseluruhan tanpa ragu-ragu.

Ah, saya membaca bagian yang bagus!

‘Saya benar-benar ingin screener tahap kedua membaca karya ini. Tidak, saya ingin lebih banyak orang membacanya. Itu tidak sempurna, dan struktur ceritanya agak sulit ditangkap, tetapi ini dapat diperbaiki segera. Dibandingkan dengan pesona hebat dari cerita itu sendiri, kekurangan ini bukan apa-apa. 'Ao menulis di lembar evaluasi. Dia merasa gembira untuk memberikan nilai A dan semuanya tersenyum. Dia akhirnya memperhatikan saat ini.

Di luar gelap.

Ao tiba di tempat Sakutarou tepat setelah tengah hari, dan jam di dinding menunjukkan waktu 10 malam!

Dia membaca hampir sepuluh jam.

Kakinya mati rasa, perutnya bergetar dan matanya lelah. Meski begitu, dia merasa sangat bersemangat. Ketika dia mendengar Sakutarou berkata, "Aku menghubungi ibumu, dan memberitahunya bahwa kamu akan menginap di sini." Ao tiba-tiba santai.

── Terima kasih … Terima kasih.

Jawab Ao.

Karena Ao tampak sangat bahagia ketika dia melompat tepat untuk membaca naskah, Sakutarou tidak mengganggunya. Dia hanya memintanya untuk beristirahat dan makan sesuatu sekali, kemudian menaruh beberapa Chikuzenni dan salad alpukat ke piring, kemudian meletakkannya di lantai dengan sup miso instan dan biskuit.

Sementara Ao memakannya, Sakutarou melihat laptop untuk memeriksa lembar evaluasi yang ditulis Ao. Melihat wajah Sakutarou yang tegang dan bibirnya yang kencang ketika dia menatap layar dengan mata yang menakutkan, Ao merasa cemas, berpikir bahwa komentar yang ditulis oleh seorang siswa sekolah menengah tidak bagus. Atau mungkin ada sesuatu yang salah.

Sakutarou menghela nafas.

── Betapa mengecewakannya …

Ketika dia mendengar Sakutarou bergumam dengan getir, jantung Ao hampir berhenti. Lagipula aku tidak bisa melakukannya! Dia meminta maaf kepada Sakutarou: "Maaf, Paman Saku."

Tapi Sakutarou──

── Sial, jadi ini masih muda? Ah! Saya ingin kembali ke waktu saya masih di sekolah menengah!

Setelah berteriak di langit-langit, dia mengacak-acak rambut Ao.

── Alih-alih membiarkan orang tua yang lelah seperti aku membaca naskah, akan lebih baik bagimu untuk melakukannya. Jadi terus seperti ini, aku akan menyerahkan sisanya padamu juga. Total tiga puluh buku, tenggat waktunya lima hari kemudian. Kurang waktu pengiriman, silakan selesaikan dalam empat hari, dua puluh lima buku tersisa.

Sakutarou terdengar sangat energik ketika dia mengatakan itu saat dia menatap Ao dengan mata lembut.

Saat itu, dari tiga pengajuan Ao yang lolos ke penyaringan tahap kedua, satu hanya berhasil ke penyaringan tahap ketiga, yang lain mendapat hadiah jasa dan yang terakhir memenangkan kontes. Dua karya pemenang hadiah berada di dalam set tiga puluh manuskrip ketika ada 600 karya yang jarang terjadi, ini mungkin keberuntungan pemula.

Komentar Ao juga dievaluasi oleh departemen editorial untuk menjadi 'rinci, mudah dimengerti dan baik kepada para peserta'.

── Setelah melihat lembar evaluasi, mereka benar-benar mengatakan kepadaku: Saku-san, kamu benar-benar pria yang baik. Sial.

Sakutarou mengeluh.

Setelah kejadian itu, Sakutarou menyerahkan semua pekerjaan pemutaran film yang dia dapatkan ke Ao. Dia juga memberi tahu staf redaksi apa yang sebenarnya terjadi melalui seseorang yang dia kenal di perusahaan. Pada awalnya, hanya editor yang membaca lembar evaluasi Ao, tetapi dia kemudian mulai menulis komentar yang akan diposting kepada para peserta.

── Komentar Ao sangat dihargai oleh departemen editorial. Mereka mengatakan bahwa Anda jujur ​​dan memiliki penilaian yang baik.

Ao merasa senang ketika mendengar Sakutarou mengatakan itu, tetapi bagaimana pikir para peserta yang menerima komentar? Karena dia tidak bisa bertanya langsung kepada mereka, Ao masih merasa khawatir.

Pada awalnya, Sakutarou memeriksa semua isi lembar evaluasi, tapi dia menyerahkan semuanya pada Ao sekarang.

Beban kerja untuk penyaringan naskah meningkat secara bertahap, dan Ao membacanya dengan kecepatan 30 hingga 50 buku sebulan. Untuk istirahat yang lebih lama seperti liburan musim panas, ia bahkan dapat memutar seratus novel dalam sebulan.

Ao akan membaca naskah yang dikirim ke rumah Sakutarou pada awalnya, tetapi dia menghabiskan terlalu banyak waktu di tempat Sakutarou dan kembali terlambat atau menginap. Ini membuat ibu Ao curiga, dan dia menerobos masuk ke tempat Sakutarou, bertanya pada Sakutarou apakah dia memimpin Ao yang tersesat.

Mereka menjelaskan seluruh situasi dengan jujur, dan menerima izin dari ibu Ao: "Hmm … Karena kamu tidak membantu Sakutarou membuat game erotis itu, tidak apa-apa … Tapi kamu harus melakukan pekerjaan rumahmu!"

Maka, naskah-naskah itu dikirim ke rumah Ao secara langsung.

Itu sebabnya dia bisa meletakkan kardus penuh dengan manuskrip ke kamarnya sendiri, dan membacanya sebanyak yang dia inginkan.

Ao berencana untuk membaca naskah itu dengan bahagia untuk minggu emas ini juga, jadi dia mengambil lima puluh naskah. Dua kotak harus memiliki dua puluh, dan kotak terakhir harus sepuluh.

Berapa banyak naskah yang harus dimasukkan ke dalam kotak juga tergantung pada serialisasi. Beberapa akan mengemas sepuluh ke dalam kotak kecil yang tepat untuk ukuran, sementara yang lain akan memeras dalam manuskrip di ambang meledak. Jika mereka menggunakan kotak kecil, itu akan mengisi seluruh ruangan dengan kotak kardus. Adapun kotak-kotak yang diisi sampai penuh, Ao tidak bisa membawanya ke kamarnya di lantai dua sendirian kecuali dia mengeluarkan beberapa naskah, yang memakan waktu. Lagi pula, ada pro dan kontra untuk setiap metode.

Namun sensasi membuka kotak kardus tidak berubah selama tiga tahun ini. Ketika dia melihat daftar judul, dadanya berdebar kencang.

He took out a heavy stack of A4 paper from the already opened envelope.

There wasn’t any restriction on the formatting for this serialization, and the words would generally be printed on a 20 by 20 manuscript paper. In such case, there would be plenty of space around the side, the spacing between the words and the lines were adequate, making this easy to read layout the best. But some contestants would use excessive A4 paper, resulting in the spacing between words to be too big. The worst would be using ‘manuscript printing’ function to print on blank paper. That would make the spacing between every single word too wide, and would be difficult to read

Sebagai contoh.

‘Harumare is a beautiful girl.’

If the font was like this, reading it would be smooth, but──

‘Harumare is a beautiful girl.’

Each word would be an individual term, and it would be hard to register in one’s mind.

It would be a pity if a manuscript that could be read smoothly became difficult to read because of formatting issues.

Recently, an increasing number of contests encourage the participants to submit entries online, and the editorial department would then print it out with uniform formatting. However, the first manuscript Ao got was a manuscript with overly wide spacing, something he had not seen in a while.

Ahh, such a pity.

He thought as usual, then glanced at the details of the contestant. The page after the cover include the pen name, real name, address, telephone, email, age, occupation and participating experience. Depending on the publisher, the manuscripts might not include such details. This involved the issue of privacy, and they wanted the screeners to read the manuscripts without any preconception.

Indeed, if a contestant was informed that they didn’t make it through the first stage of screening twenty times, the screener might think the author wasn’t ready yet. On the other hand, if the experience stated that they made it through the final stage of a newcomer selection, the screener might hold overly high expectations. If the screener felt that the work was just normal, it could affect his judgement and worry that another screener would approve it for the second stage. Thus, the screener might  read the manuscript three more times to be sure.

That was why if participation history was included, it would be hard for the screener to judge the work purely on its own merit, and Ao was aware of this danger.

However, Ao’s habit of reading the history and knowing who wrote the manuscript would make it easier to relate to the work, and Ao liked that feeling.

This story is written by a 27 years old freelancer. Five years of participation history, he made it through the first round of screening two years ago, and even passed the third round last year. Someone who worked hard steadily, it would be great if he gets good results.

Hal-hal seperti itu.

This person is an X-ray technician in a hospital, his description of the hospital is really detailed.

Some were impressive.

Wah, this person is 73 years old! Older than my grandfather back home! Wah, it’s handwritten, the penmanship is beautiful!

On closer inspection.

Hmm, the address… is prison!

Some surprised him.

Occupation, warrior!? Hah? What in the world is his job?

Ao mumbled to himself happily. When he saw a familiar name,

Ohh! This is the sixth time I saw this person’s manuscript. Ah, he didn’t use the old manuscript he submitted to other Newcomer Contest, but a new work!

Sometimes, it made him feel overjoyed.

The manuscript in his hands right now was written by a 20 years old college student, entering the contest for the first time. This was probably the reason why he printed it in such a difficult to read format.

After browsing through the synopsis and understanding the setting, Ao started reading the content.

The writing was solid, he probably read a lot of literature. On the contrary, the character setting was conservative. A large number of character appeared in the beginning, and without describing the personality of the characters further, the story kept progressing, making it hard to figure out who was saying what.

Ehh, this is Morita? But that’s Kondo here, and this… is Nikaidou right… But Nikaidou refer to himself as ‘moi’, not me? So, this is spoken by Kondo?

It was fun to deduce as he read like this too.

This felt like a story he wrote without planning it out first. The second half is much smoother and feels great. He gets it right rather fast. But the development of the story is too abrupt, he probably added the setting that just came to his mind in. Wahh, what is happening here? It doesn’t match the previous part, that surprised me, how interesting.

Ao always felt excited when he read such yet to mature novel with plenty of plot holes, which warmed his heart. This had never changed since he first took the job of screener three years ago.

Ao felt that working as a screener was the most extravagant job in the world.

So there really is a job where you get paid to read stories. For the serialization Ao was working on right now, payment would be by the pages. Screening a 300 page manuscript and filling in the evaluation sheet would net him 3000 yen, some serialization would even offer a generous rate of 4000 yen.

If he finish 30 books in a month, he would get 80,000 yen after tax. In terms of salary for a high schooler, that was groundbreaking, and he could read at his own time.

Reading as if he was conversing with an unfinished manuscript was really enjoyable. He would come across manuscripts brimming with talent occasionally, which was evident after reading the opening lines. Ao would sit up straight on reflex with a heart full of respect.

The sparkling words, charming characters and amazing story structure would win him over, making him continue reading in silence. Seeing the overflowing talent of the contestant made Ao take a deep breath.

“Uwah, I read a great manuscript.”

Ao muttered.

“This submission will definitely win a prize, what kind of illustrations would it get, and what would the end product look like?”

He felt exhilarated just thinking about this.

Over the past three years, twenty manuscripts selected by Ao for the second round of selection won a prize. There weren’t two winners in one batch like his first try, but in one of the year, ten participants he selected won.

According to Sakutarou, some screeners who had been doing it for ten years didn’t even select one prize winner. It was rare to see someone with high production rate like Ao.

“The editors told me a while back that the manuscripts given an A grade by Saku-san and this screener have a high chance of winning a prize.” ── Sakutarou said.

To Ao, manuscripts that had the potential of winning a prize would make it to the second round of screening no matter who the screener was. Ao didn’t feel that he had exceptional judgement, and merely selected the manuscript he really wanted to be published and read by everyone. It just happened that this work was packed into the box Ao was responsible for.

Ao felt that this was very lucky and not something to brag about. The manuscript he sent for the second round of selection making it through to the third round, becoming the prize winner of the year, get published into a book and sold in retail shops.

He would feel anxious as he waited for the judging to conclude. After confirming the list of prize winners via cell phone, he would yell “Awesome!” in his room and smiled happily.

He couldn’t stop smiling when he saw the prize winning work displayed on shelves in the book shops.

“Ao, what are you smiling about?”

Such situations baffled his friends.

And of course, Ao would purchase the winning works he came into contact with, and placed them carefully onto his book shelf. These twenty books were special works to Ao, even though he had never seen the authors before, Ao wanted to support them. I am the first one to read the manuscript he submitted! Ao took pride over this secretly.

After finishing the work by the college student who submitted an entry for the first time, Ao filled in the grades for each criteria on the evaluation sheet, and awarded a overall score of B-.

“He didn’t make it this time, but he has a lot of potential, I hope he keeps writing.”

With such thoughts in his mind, Ao completed the evaluation sheet, put the manuscript back in the envelope. He then reach for the next paper bag and took out the content.

It was a work titled ‘The lonely me came to an alternate world, becoming the hero, demon king and the emperor of a harem paradise’.

“How direct! Luar biasa! ”

Ao flip open the cover with a smile and confirmed the details of the author.

Pen Name: Sameyoroi

Real name──

"Hah?"

Ao locked his sights on the place where the name of a girl was written.

Real Name: Hiyuki Hinomiya

With the ice character in her name and family name, one could almost hear the sound of the air freezing over, Ao remember this absolutely cold name.

Mungkinkah…

Holding his breath, he checked the age and occupation.

Sixteen years old, studying in Kanotori high school

"!"

He forgot about breathing momentarily, and his heart pumped intensely.

It is that Hiyuki Hinomiya!

What came to Ao’s mind was his classmate known as the ‘Ice Maiden’.

One week later, the day after the golden week ended.

Ao was chatting with a group of guys in his class.

“The concert was so high, it was awesome!”

“The hot spring was great too, my pimple faded and skin turned so smooth. Here’s some souvenoir, hot spring buns.”

“… I went out with my girlfriend every day, so tiring.”

“Why you! You’re doing it on purpose! You’re saying this intentionally to me who got dump by Soejima-chan during my camping trip!”

“Hey, get a hold of yourself. What are you looking at, Ao?”

Ao, who was looking into the distance from his seat besides the window, jumped.

“Hmm, ahh, nice weather today.”

He muddled it with a smile.

Actually, he was thinking about Hiyuki Hinomiya. Hiyuki wasn’t in school yet, the third seat from the front besides the window was still empty.

“Ao stayed home the entire time?”

“Ah, yeah, it was fun.”

"Apakah begitu? Here, have a hot spring bun.”

“I bought some chocolate at the souvenir shop near the camp site. Here, I will give you two as a special service.”

"Terima kasih."

“… Want to see my girlfriend’s photo?”

“Stop that!”

As Ao’s classmates chattered noisily, it was almost time for morning self study. At this moment, a young girl with a cold aura about her entered the classroom’s front door.

It’s Hiyuki Hinomiya! Her light brown hair that was different from a normal Japanese hung over her slender back and modest chest. Her limbs were long and she kept her back straight, standing tall with excellent posture, and she was taller than normal girls too. Her skin was so pale it was almost transparent, which was probably because of her mixed heritage. Under her long lashes were lustrous eyes that emitted ice cold light. A small mole besides her thin lips looked really sexy, and the boys were always getting worked up over her.

She was a cool beauty who really suited the name Hiyuki Hinomiya. Over time, everyone started calling her ‘Ice Maiden’.

Ao and Hiyuki were in different class last year, but Ao heard about the nickname and things related to Hiyuki.

He heard that she was from a wealthy family and lived in a Japanese style mansion near their school.

She lived together with her grandmother who always wore a kimono and kept her back meticulously straight. She was a graceful beauty, but she looked a bit scary and unapproachable, just like Hiyuki.

Hiyuki was a solitary person, even if someone talked to her, she would show a cold expression as if she was ignoring the existence of others. Even if she replied, she would do so with a icy tone. That was why no one spoke to her anymore.

Despite that, she wasn’t ostracized, and was revered by others as the ‘Ice Maiden’, becoming the envy of others. It was scary to be close to her, but watching from afar, she felt so beautiful, mature and enchanting.

After starting the second year and becoming her classmate, Ao also thought: It’s Hinomiya Hiyuki, what a beauty. Like everyone else, he thought the mole at the corner of her lips was very sexy.

“Hinomiya is really sexy today too.”

“Those cold eyes, is she the fabled Queen-sama?”

“Ahh, I will get goosebumps if those eyes lay their gaze on me.”

"Apakah kamu seorang masokis? I won’t be able to take it, if those icy stares caught me. I will probably die.”

“…Hinomiya won’t bother with you guys, don’t worry.”

“You are really annoying, normie!”

Hiyuki seemed unfazed by the conversations and gazes around her. She walked to her seat with composed and graceful movements, pulled her chair quietly, then sat elegantly.

Pulling the zipper on her bag, she took out her books and place them on her desk. Hiyuki didn’t greet anyone after entering the classroom. Her perfect profile that looked artificial was ice cold no matter what angle you looked at her.

“What is it Ao, you are staring so intently at Hinomiya. Did you fall for her?”

Ao snapped back to reality after being asked so suddenly by his classmate. He had been staring at Hiyuki all this while, and was overdoing it.

“Eh, no, impossible. She is just a normal beauty to me.”

“Your face is red.”

“You guys got it wrong.”

Ao denied frantically.

He really didn’t love Hiyuki, that was not true.

Hinomiya just entered the Newcomer Contest where I am working as a screener. How can I explain such a thing?

Ao himself was filled with doubt.

The day before golden week, Ao was very surprised when he saw the name Hinomiya Hiyuki in the list of contestants. Sixteen years old and studying in Kanotori high school, it really is that Hinomiya Hiyuki. When he confirmed this fact, he was dumbfounded.

The beautiful top student, the unapproachable Hiyuki known as the ‘Ice Maiden’, actually submitted a manuscript with the title ‘The lonely me came to an alternate world, becoming the hero, demon king and the emperor of a harem paradise’?

And from her submission history, Ao saw that this wasn’t her first attempt. Her first entry was in April last year, this was her fifth time. All prior attempts didn’t make the cut.

── A-Anyway, let’s take a look at the content. Ya.

Feeling more tense in reading a manuscript than ever before, Ao flipped the pages.

He scanned the synopsis first. He could tell from the title that this was a transported to an alternate world story that was popular recently.

In the real world, the main character who didn’t have friends, wasn’t close to his family, had no good points about himself and was lonely, got into a traffic accident. When he woke up, he found himself in a world similar to Europe in the middle ages. At the request of that world’s residents, he defeated the demon king by taking on the role of a hero.

However, he knew he was also the resurrected demon king. With this secret in his heart, he built great relationships with the girls who made their appearance. A standard setting seen everywhere, but with the different writing style of each author, it could be spun into an interesting tale.

That Hinomiya Hiyuki actually wrote a Harem Comedy…?

Ao turned the page with doubts in his mind, but was hit by greater confusion.

Bong── Bang!

That was the first line he read.

「Uwah, I hit someone! Oh tidak! He is wearing a uniform! Just a High Schooler!」

『Beee── Boop──Beee── Boop──…』

Ahh, that hurts, damn.

This is the junction before Shibuya 109, where the normies gather.

I collided with a high class black benz head on. As I bleeded to the verge of death, I could hear the sirens of the ambulance.

『Beee── Boop──Beee── Boop──…』

Tch, it’s getting louder.

「Hey, just hang on! The ambulance will be here soon!」

The one who knocked me down looked like a CEO of some company, who is wearing an expensive Armani suit with a Hermes tie. An old man about fifty years of age, he kept calling out to me.

Sorry for colliding with you, old man. I didn’t mean to, just think of me as a bug who happened to be in the way and forget about me.

The truth is, my life isn’t any different from a bug.

No friends, no girl for me.

Ignored by my parents.

A super lonely person.

『Beee── Boop──Beee── Boop──…』

Pata!

Tatatata.

「「「「Where is the casualty?」」」」

I lowered my head weakly as the cries of the medical team sounded out.

Good bye, this grey world.

I am already dead.

「Jang~ Jang jang jang, jang la, jang la la la la la ♪ (Funeral tune)」

This is… by Hinomiya-san!?

Ao didn’t object to the usage of varying font size, repeated punctuation and onomatopoeia as a mean to tell a story. He thought that anything was acceptable if it fit in with the work.

That’s why, there wasn’t anything wrong with changing the font size in this story.

This was a great writing style too.

But, just to ask again, this was written by that Hinomiya Hiyuki?

Reading on, words in large fonts like ‘Fluffy’, ’Soft QQ☆’, ’Striped panties (@^O^@)/’ appeared before his eyes, but the mature and beautiful Hinomiya Hiyuki with her cold gaze was on his mind. And so, Ao felt the world was spinning as he finally finished reading the story.

There must be a mistake, there’s no way Hinomiya-san would enter a light novel story contest.

Since self study begun, Ao continued to observe Hiyuki. Ao’s seat was behind Hiyuki, two seats away. From this position, he could see Hiyuki’s cold profile. A light gust of late spring breeze brushed Hiyuki’s hair. Her white skin seemed transparent under the ray of the sun. Hiyuki kept her back straight as she stared at the blackboard. Her ice cold eyes were filled with maturity and calmness, her tightly closed lips gave an air of intellectuality. The mole besides her lips seemed so mature too.

Hinomiya-san using a term like ‘Bong──Bang’? Or getting excited because ‘it’s striped panties yay~O(≧▽≦)O’? Or sticking her tongue out and knocking her head gently because ‘my skirt rolled up accidentally, teehee☆’?

Ao had never seen Hiyuki smile.

The author wasn’t equivalent to their work, Ao confirmed this from his uncle Sakutarou. He portrayed flat chest lolis as heroine and enamoured the heart of the players, but as an authority in this field, Sakutarou loved big breasts. His first girlfriend when he was in high school was an office lady in her twenties. He thought of other girls as brats, and didn’t even think of them as women.

Also, Sakutarou’s main heroines always wore strawberry print panties. Sakutarou would focus on writing the details of the strawberry panties as he mumbled: “Woman wearing panties with prints isn’t good. Panties have to be black, black! Ahh, how healing it would be if I could motorboat a 27 year old beauty’s large breasts──”

Also, the main characters in Sakutarou’s work didn’t know how to handle women, and always nosebleed with a blushed face before them. But that was totally different from Sakutarou himself.

That’s why, it wasn’t such a surprise if the impression Hiyuki gave was complete polar opposites from her work. But──

Maybe there is another Hinomiya Hiyuki in school.

Such doubt arose within Ao.

Hinomiya Hiyuki was probably not Sameyoroi who wrote ‘The lonely me came to an alternate world, becoming the hero, demon king and the emperor of a harem paradise’.

At this moment, the mechanical pencil in Hiyuki’s hand caught Ao’s eyes. The design was cute with a picture of a fish on it, and didn’t match the mature Hiyuki at all. The fish had a long and grey body, its most prominent feature was its eyes. Deep blue eyes, large and moist.

Hmm… Could that be… A shark?

Sameyoroi… Same, Yo, Ro, I… Same… Shark (Same)!

Linking everything together, Ao felt his head heating up. During the break between classes, he used his smartphone to search for information about sharks.

He found a type of kitefin shark that lived at the depth of the sea, with eyes that had a blue glow, and looked really powerful.

Same, Yo, Ro, I, it’s Yoroizame (Kitefin Shark)!

He’s heart raced as if he discovered something incredible. Right now, Ao was very certain.

Hinomiya Hiyuki is Sameyoroi!

“Uwah.”

After uttering that unconsciously, Ao shut his mouth in a panic. He looked towards Hiyuki’s seat and found it empty, she had went off to somewhere.

But he couldn’t restrain the rumbling in his heart, and had the urge to shout it out loud.

And of course, he couldn’t ask her directly ‘Hinomiya-san is Sameyoroi correct!’ Ao had been reminded time and again: The personal information of the contestant, content of the work, results of the contest must never be leaked. On top of that, Ao also signed a contract with the publishers. It wouldn’t be good if others found out that the high schooler Ao was working as a screener. Also, Hiyuki would be surprised if a classmate said that to her out of the blue.

But, I want to talk to Hinomiya-san.

If he talked about light novels, she would be willing to chat, right? Some of the contestants lived near Ao too. It made Ao happy: Ahh, there’s a 26 years old engineer who takes the bus at the same stop as me. The contestant this time wasn’t just in the same school, they were in the same class too.

Caught in the dilemma of ‘strictly prohibiting the leak of personal data’ and ‘hiding the fact that I am a screener and chatting with her’, Ao couldn’t keep still and was really troubled.

Hiyuki only came back to class when class was about to begin. She still didn’t talk to anyone, returning to her seat and keeping her back straight.

She makes that ice sculpture like expression though she wrote lines like ‘Striped panties’. How unfathomable.

When they were assigned to the same class, aside from thinking: “What a beauty”, Ao wasn’t interested in her. But now, he was very intrigued by Hinomiya Hiyuki. When did she start writing light novels? Why was she writing light novels? Was she writing any other works? Which author did she like? I want to know all that so much!

During class, Ao kept peeking at Hiyuki’s face.

When it was time for lunch break, Hiyuki took her small bag and left the class hurriedly.

That’s right Hinomiya-san is usually not in class during lunch break…

He remembered that she only made it back to her seat right before class begin.

“Hinomiya-san is probably eating lunch with her friends in other class right?”

Ao gathered together with the boys in class and chatted while eating the lunch box his mother made for him.

“What, so you really do like Hinomiya.”

“Daring to woo that ‘Ice Maiden’, you are really an hero.”

“Take my advice, it’s better to not go after Hinomiya.”

Some laughed deviously, while others worried for Ao sincerely.

“I said that’s not it. She is always not around during lunch break, I’m just curious where she went.”

“If you didn’t care about that girl at all, why would you be curious about that?”

"Betul. Ao, you have fallen for her right?”

That’s not it, really.

Ao smiled wryly. His classmates shared what they knew about Hiyuki with him.

“Every morning, afternoon and after school, Hinomiya would shut herself inside the computer lab. I heard she stayed there all the time during her first year. She emitted an icy aura while glaring at the screen.”

“I saw it too, law and statutes, Marx’s economical theory and other such books were piled around the keyboard as she tapped on the keyboard with her body completely still. So scary, the seats around Hinomiya are mostly empty.”

“When I first saw her, there were medical books, then philosophy books like those by Plato or Aristotle.”

“She might be thinking that it would be more meaningful to widen her knowledge than to talk with us.”

She is probably writing her manuscript in the computer lab.

Ao’s heart beat even faster.

Before the fifth period began, Hiyuki returned to the classroom and sat gracefully back in her seat.

From diagonally behind her, Ao watched Hiyuki’s cold eyes, tightly closed lips, the mole besides her lips and the Kitefin shark with large eyes on her mechanical pencil.

After school, Ao made a trip to the computer lab.

The computer lab on the third floor was usually open for the student usage. That was why many students visited the computer lab during break and after school. But as gaming and adult sites were banned, along with the ‘talking is prohibited’ poster in the room, only the sound of keyboards could be heard in the room.

Hiyuki came to the computer lab earlier and sat in a seat besides the wall, staring at the screen as she typed.

Saya melihat. Compared to her demeanour in the classroom, Hiyuki felt even more cold in the computer lab. That was why the seats around her were empty.

Ao intentionally picked a seat besides Hiyuki.

The tension in the room suddenly rose, probably because the students were spooked. They wondered who dared to sit besides the ‘Ice Maiden’.

Hiyuki didn’t even look at Ao and continued to tap on her key board with her slender fingers. On the table were books about mathematical theory and construction engineering that looked difficult to read. Each one of them were thick enough to be used as a murder weapon, like a wall that isolate herself from her neighbouring seat.

The books were in the way and made it hard to peek at her screen. Hiyuki also adjusted the brightness of the monitor down, and with the tiny font size she was using, Ao could only tell that the screen was covered in words.

But watching her from up close, she really is a mature beauty.

Overwhelmed by the aura Hiyuki’s pale and translucent skin was emitting, and her ice cold eyes and straight back, Ao felt increasingly uncomfortable. Saat ini…

I already went out of my way to come here, and have confirmed that Hinomiya-san is Sameyoroi.

Ao gathered himself, and took out a light novel from his bag.

On the cover was a young man wielding a sword and a girl holding a girl. It was a fantasy battle novel that was all the rage recently. He didn’t finish it earlier but just happen to have stuffed it into his bag.

Ao purposely dropped the book besides Hiyuki’s feet.

“Ah, sorry.”

Hiyuki who was staring at the monitor turned to look at Ao for the first time. Her long eyelashes dropped a little, she pushed her thin lips tightly together as she looked at Ao with a cold gaze.

Uwah…

The moment their eyes met, Ao felt electricity running down his back. Hiyuki was so beautiful, graceful and cold, exactly like his classmates described. Ao was as nervous as a vassal kneeling before his queen and his entire body turned stiff. Extraordinary beauty could also be a weapon to subdue an opponent. Ao experienced this first hand as he looked at Hiyuki’s face directly.

He thought Hiyuki would picked up the book and return it to him, but Hiyuki didn’t look as if she planned to do that.

“Haha, I dropped my book.”

Ao made an excuse and bent down. When he saw her white porcelain legs protruding from the edge of her skirt, his heart started to race and he averted his eyes in a panic.

After picking up the book, Ao realized that Hiyuki was still staring at him. Or rather, her cold eyes seemed to be saying that she didn’t see Ao at all.

Ao still felt fearful after seeing her reaction, but…

“Ah, I am your classmate Ao Kazetani, Hinomiya-san. Apakah kamu ingat saya?"

Mustering his courage, he asked softly:

Hiyuki’s expression didn’t change.

“… Emm.”

She answered with a tone as frosty as her expression.

That’s great, she knows that I am her classmate.

Ao relaxed.

“This book is the newest release of this series, it was published just recently and is really good, I really like this series now. Hinomiya-san, do you read light novels?”

Ao showed Hiyuki the cover and tried to find a topic to chat with her.

From the manuscript Hiyuki submitted, this series was the type that suited Hiyuki. Also, this series set off a boom among the light novel readers, so the probability of a high schooler contestant reading this series was high.

Hiyuki’s lowered her eyes, and looked at the book in Ao’s hand in a mature and enchanting expression, but there wasn’t any light in her cold eyes.

"… Tidak."

She answered softly with a voice that almost freezed the air, then turned her face away.

The sound gave the feeling of a roller shutter shutting forcefully.

── It’s bothersome, please don’t talk to me.

Ao’s entire body froze solid as he took that was what Hiyuki meant.

Hiyuki gathered her notes and stationery into her bag, then left the computer lab while carrying the books in her arms as if she felt unhappy about Ao chatting her up, and wanted to go to a place where Ao wasn’t there.

Her lips which had a mole besides it remained tightly shut as Hiyuki gazed downwards, straighten her body with a icy expression, and left Ao’s side without a word. Ao felt a wenching pain in his chest and his face heating up because of the shame as he watched Hiyuki leave.

Uwah… How shameful.

“What is it Ao, why are you sighing?”

After he return home, Ao went to Sakutarou’s apartment and sulked on the floor. The book he read half way was just laid there and his face was sullen. Hence, Sakutarou called out to him.

It was rare to see Sakutarou working so hard. He spin his chair away from his desk surrounded by three computers, leaned forward and asked:

“Is it love-related troubles? If so, you can talk to your uncle about it.”

Sakutarou smiled widely.

Why did his classmate and Sakutarou think that Ao was in love? Speaking of which, even though it wasn’t trouble with love, it did involve a girl. Sakutarou had dated plenty of girls, and his description of the mindset of the girls making an appearance in his games were quite high in standard. Sakutarou himself said that real girls weren’t so easy to deal with though. However, since he could state it so readily, he must understand the mindset of girls in the real world well right?

And so, Ao tried asking quietly.

“… Let’s say if, if an aloof and beautiful girl who doesn’t talk to anyone in class…”

“Oh, nice, the silent and cool type?”

“I happen to find out about the other side of that girl, and in order to understand that side of her more, I tried talking to her about that topic. But she ignored me and started avoiding me, which means she didn’t want to discuss about that topic. Does she… find me annoying? That’s definitely it.”

When he said it out loud, he felt a stone drop in his stomach.

He didn’t think she would stand up and leave. Was listening to Ao such a bother? Ao thought that she would be more receptive if he use light novels as a topic, and she might want to talk about writing novels herself.

“Was she troubled? Or was she afraid of you?”

Sakutarou showed an expression of ‘look at what you did, dummy’ and said.

“Afraid of me?”

“Because, that unexpected side of silent-chan wasn’t found out by anyone right? For her, it was something she wanted to hide.”

“Yes, so I annoyed her and made her mad when I mention that topic.”

“Yeah, there are such cases too. Someone who is always alone, is she strong or timid? No, even someone really strong have a cowardly side. This type of people are afraid of getting hurt by others. That’s why, when someone hint that: “I know everything” about the things they were hiding in their heart, they would be scared out of their wits.

Did Hiyuki leave because she was angry at Ao, or because she was afraid?

Sakutarou’s words struck Ao like lightning.

Back then, Hiyuki’s tightly closed lips, her queen-like expression… But what if things were like Sakutarou said, and that’s not how she really felt?

“Isn’t this common in games? Getting ahold of the weak point of the silent beauty, blackmailing them with it and taming them accordingly. For male orientated games, the setting of the male characters would be more crude. For female orientated games, they would be cool and handsome men. As for you, you don’t need to use intimidation. For boys with raging hormones like you, the girls will listen to you if you adopt a more forceful attitude.”

“If the one pressuring them were the handsome type they prefered, they will submit wholeheartedly, that’s what the girls want.” Sakutarou started talking about games with blackmailing themes, which made Ao’s face turn pale.

Blackmail! Did Hinomiya-san think I was blackmailing her?

The next day, Ao waited uneasily in the classroom for Hinomiya Hiyuki to show up. If Hiyuki thought that Ao was holding on to her weak point, and was afraid that Ao would make overboard demands, then he needed to resolve this misunderstanding and put her at ease.

Ao kept looking at Hiyuki’s seat, and his classmates whispered to each other:

“He’s in love.”

“He has fallen for her.”

Hiyuki should be writing in the computer lab this morning too. Ao really wanted to meet her there, but that would only make Hiyuki more afraid.

Ao was enduring it, and right before self study in the morning began, Hiyuki entered the classroom. She kept her eyes down, not looking at Ao at all.

What should I do? I have to try to talk to her. It would be weird if I suddenly say ‘I won’t tell anyone that Hinomiya-san entered a light novel contest.”

If he really said that, Hiyuki would probably turn pale from shock.

Ao kept following that icy face of hers and worry. At this moment, Hiyuki sneaked a peek at Ao’s direction.

Ao and Hiyuki locked their eyes for an instant.

Ao opened his eyes in surprise, Hiyuki’s shoulders shuddered a little and she showed a meek expression. She then reverted back to her frosty face, lowered her eyes and walked to her seat. With her back straight, she started taking textbooks out of her bag.

Just now… she seemed to be showing a scared look.

When he saw the ‘Ice Maiden’ looking fearfully, Ao’s heart almost stopped. When it started beating again, it did so really intensely.

So she can show that kind of expression too.

To avoid spooking her, Ao peeked at her carefully, and saw Hiyuki holding her Kitefin Shark mechanical pencil with her head down.

What do I need to do to talk to her without alarming her…

As Ao was thinking about various things, the first period ended. The next lesson was computing. Ao followed his classmates and headed for the computer lab.

He thought Hiyuki would reach the computer lab first, but there was no signs of her and his other classmates got into their seats one by one.

Hinomiya-san sat there yesterday, I sat besides her and showed her a light novel. I talked to her, and she stood up and left in the end.

As Ao thought about what happened yesterday with a bitter expression.

"Hmm? Apa ini!?"

A male student who sat at the computer where Hiyuki was seated yesterday yelled.

“There are still words on the screen, someone forgot to delete it? Stuff like ‘Bong─ Bang!’, ‘It’s striped patterned~’, this is a light novel!”

"!"

Ao held his breath.

The manuscript written by Hiyuki on the school computer was still there? Did Hiyuki forget to delete it? The other classmates gathered to look at the screen.

“Wahh! ‘Fluffy’, ‘Sparkling──☆’, are you for real? ‘Master~ it’s striped patterned panties~’, how disgusting, all light novels are like this.”

“Light novels are books Otakus read, those with girls flashing their panties on the cover right? Reading such brainless things so happily, they must be idiots.”

“The person who keep giggling to themselves while writing this must be a moron, how disgusting.”

Not just the boys, even the girls were like this.

“Ew, how disgusting.”

“How crude──

Everyone looked at the screen together and was getting rowdy.

When he saw Hiyuki standing at the entrance with a pale face, Ao was shocked.

Hints of weakness surfaced on her cold eyes, just like what he saw by chance during class. Her thin lips that had a mole besides it also turned white, her slender fingers that were holding her textbooks to her chest were trembling slightly. When someone said: “Disgusting──”, she slumped her shoulders with a fearful face──

When he saw that, Ao squeezed into the crowd and pulled the plug of the computer.

As the devious male students were shouting about ‘let’s find the culprit who wrote this’, the monitor blacked out.

“Wah, what are you doing!?”

Ao said with a refreshing smile while holding the end of the plug:

“Sorry, I am the one who wrote that.”

Hiyuki who was standing at the entrance with her shoulders withdrawn widened her eyes.

Ao said cheerfully before his dumbfounded classmates:

“Because light novels are the best! The most popular anime right now that has been confirmed to make it to the big screen, ‘The Mage of Time and Dragon’, was adapted from a light novel. Ono, didn’t you watch it last week and even cried?”

“Ah, yeah.”

Ao deflected the topic to a classmate who opened his eyes wide and lowered his head.

“Koken too, didn’t you say the ‘Fluffy high school battle chronicle’ I lent you is super interesting, and you finished ten volumes in three days? Or you don’t want to borrow the sequels?”

“N-No, please lend the sequels to me.”

Ao smiled gently.

"Tidak masalah."

He then clapped his hands together, and said with a slightly embarrassed expression:

“So, everyone please forget what you saw just now. I put in a lot of effort into it! Also, if you read on, you will find that it is really interesting.”

Hiyuki opened her eyes wide again, her lips with the charming mole besides it were open slightly because of surprise.

“Hmm, alright, show it to us next time.”

“Okay── Ara, my masterpiece~ the data is all gone.”

Ao sighed exaggeratedly, and his classmates all laughed.

The atmosphere in the classroom soothed. After the teacher entered the room, everyone scattered and returned to their seats.

Hiyuki also sat down some distance away from Ao.

Her long eyelashes lowered as she made a cold expression, clicking the Kitefin Shark mechanical pencil in her hand.

“……”

It was noon when Hiyuki approached Ao.

Ao bought bread at the canteen, and in the corridor back to the classroom, Hiyuki appeared suddenly from the corner.

She probably heard that Ao went to buy bread, and waited here for him.

She stared at Ao who was holding pineapple bread, veggie salad, croquette and milk, she said softly:

“Why… did you claim to have written it?”

“Ehh, back then, I did so on reflex…”

Ao answered apologetically. Hiyuki slumped her shoulders a little and lowered her gaze.

“… You know… that I wrote it right?”

Ao hesitate for a moment.

"Iya nih."

He answered.

Hiyuki pulled her shoulders back more.

“Why… do you know… that I am writing that?”

Ao started hesitating.

It was a secret that the high schooler Ao was working as a screener. And a screener telling a contestant that he had read her work was against the rules.

But Hiyuki took the initiative to find Ao, that meant she was very confused. Why did a classmate who didn’t cross path with her at all know her secret? Yesterday, he was talking as if he knew everything.

Ao felt that it was unfair to muddle the topic after making Hiyuki so troubled, so Ao said quietly:

“Because I read Hinomiya-san’s manuscript.”

“Read my manuscript…?”

Hiyuki lifted her head, her face filled with confusion. Ao continued with a serious expression:

“Hinomiya-san used the pen name Yoroisame and submitted the work ‘The lonely me came to an alternate world, becoming the hero, demon king and the emperor of a harem paradise’ into the contest ── I saw this manuscript when I was working as a screener.”

Hiyuki turned expressionless, then her face suddenly reddened.

The ‘Ice Maiden’ whose eyes were glittering with cold light became like a cooked octopus. From her ears to her neck── even the place around the mole by her lips were unbelievably red. Her slightly open lips trembled nonstop, and tears welled in her eyes.

Ao was shocked by her change. Hiyuki lowered her head forcefully.

“… You, got the wrong person…”

She was as quiet as the buzzing of a fly.

“Ah, Hinomiya-san.”

Hiyuki moved amazingly fast and ran away from Ao with a swish.

Hiyuki only returned to the classroom when the fifth period was about to start. With an unnatural posture as she averted her face away from Ao, she walked to her seat and turned to the window as if she was avoiding Ao’s eyes.

She was always keeping her posture straight as she looked at the blackboard, but for the fifth and sixth period, Hiyuki shrinked her shoulders as she looked out the window.

As she did so, Hiyuki held the mechanical pencil with a large eyed Kitefin Shark tightly.

The way Hiyuki was acting made Ao very anxious.

Is it better to not tell her that I read her work? She is not thinking that I am threatening her right?

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Manuscript Screening Boy and Manuscript Submitting Girl

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