Night descends, a cloak of gray over a world of dreams. It's late.
At the Hiratsuka home, Ryosuke kneels in the living room, wiping down his sakabatou, a reverse-blade sword. With his exams over and Shoko no longer needing his help with speech, his nights have been quiet, leaving little to do besides practicing his swordsmanship. He has no plans to waste his two-week spring break. His next goal: to write a light novel and make some money.
His original plan was to ask Shizuka for some cash to buy a portable computer and a few books to study the popular works in this world. After all, he has a ready-made teacher right here—a best-selling light novel author with a million copies sold and an anime adaptation on the way. Learning from her seems like a good idea. The problem is, it's nearly midnight, and Shizuka still isn't home. Even when she goes out for a late-night drive, she's usually back by 11 p.m. And she's not answering her phone. Even though Shizuka is a strong fighter, she's still a woman, and Ryosuke can't help but worry.
An adult's disappearance this late wouldn't be taken seriously by the police. Chiba is too far to rely on, so Ryosuke decides to go out himself and check a few of Shizuka's usual spots.
"Alright, that's enough," he mutters, his eyes sharp.
Clang!
The sword slides into its sheath with a crisp metallic click. Ryosuke stands and heads to the front door. Just as he's putting on his shoes in the entryway, he hears a faint click of the lock.
"That damn midget! I'll get her next time!"
Hiratsuka Shizuka grumbles as she steps inside, only to see a fully armed Hiratsuka Ryosuke standing by the door. She frowns. "Ryosuke, where are you going this late?"
Seeing his sister back and unharmed, Ryosuke's heart finally settles. He turns, goes back to the table, and puts his sword down, his expression grim.
"Why are you so late? Couldn't you have called? Do you know how worried I was?!" he asks, his voice cold and unforgiving.
Seeing how angry he is, Shizuka knows she's in the wrong. She slowly closes the door, quietly changes her shoes, and sits across from him with her head down like a scolded child.
She honestly explains why she was late.
"What?! You were caught street racing by a traffic cop and fined 300,000 yen?!" Ryosuke slams his hand on the table.
He's filled with a sense of dread. Traffic laws in Japan are extremely strict. Fines can go up to one million yen, and severe cases can even lead to imprisonment. Ryosuke takes a deep breath to calm himself down, but he can't help but say through clenched teeth, "Don't ever go street racing again. And don't come home so late. Even if your phone battery dies, find a public phone and call home. Got it?!"
"I won't do it again because my car was impounded. It's all that midget's fault, or else the police wouldn't have caught me," Hiratsuka Shizuka says, avoiding his gaze.
Ryosuke closes his eyes and rubs his forehead. He can't listen anymore. Maybe his anger has hit its limit, because he's slowly starting to calm down.
"You have no right to complain... Anyway, don't go out street racing at night anymore," he says helplessly, his tone softening. "Because I was worried about you. You're my only family here in Tokyo, Shizuka-sensei."
Hearing his heartfelt concern, Shizuka stops arguing and nods seriously.
"I won't go out street racing at night again. I swear." Hiratsuka Shizuka's expression is serious. She secretly adds in her mind, But as for that damn midget, I'll find another way to teach her a lesson. If she hadn't challenged her tonight, she wouldn't have been caught. She's about the same age as her but has the face and body of an elementary school student. Hmph, she's trying to act young.
Seeing Shizuka's sincere reflection, Ryosuke doesn't have the heart to scold her anymore.
"By the way, Shizuka-sensei, can you give me some money? I need to buy a portable computer and some light novels," Ryosuke says with a sigh, finally getting to his original purpose.
Shizuka grabs a beer from the table, pops the tab open with one hand, and then hesitates before taking a drink. "You can just use my computer. As for the light novels... I think we should save money on entertainment right now."
Ryosuke's eyebrows furrow. His eyes narrow with suspicion. "Don't tell me... you don't even have enough money to buy a few books."
"Of course I do! It's just that your middle school tuition is due soon, and there are household expenses. Since my car was impounded, I had to rent an SUV to get home. We need to save money wherever we can right now," she explains.
"You rented a car? Your license wasn't suspended?"
"Well, that's a more complicated issue. I paid a lot in fines, so I'll be able to get my car back in a while." Shizuka's confident tone slowly fades as she speaks, and her eyes start to wander.
Ryosuke finally understands. Of course, corruption exists everywhere. Shizuka is usually reliable, but when she's not, she's completely unreliable. It seems making money is now an urgent matter.
I've made my decision. Tonight, I'll write down the general outline of the story. Then, during the break, I'll go visit the Fairy and get the first volume done.
"The bath water is still warm. Finish your beer and go to bed early. You need to save money on your extra expenses, too," Ryosuke says, his tone cold. He's still worried and angry. He goes to Shizuka's room, grabs her computer, and returns to his own, leaving Shizuka alone in the living room with her beer.
Since this world's entertainment industry is so developed, with long-running series like Bleach, One Piece, and Naruto that are even more up-to-date than in his previous life, Ryosuke carefully searches for stories he remembers that haven't appeared in this world. Finally, he finds a series he can recall. He does his best to remember every plot point, piecing them together.
The next day, Hiratsuka Ryosuke arrives at Yamada Elf's house with the manuscript he finished overnight. It's a detached villa in a wealthy neighborhood in Bunkyo Ward. Yamada Elf bought it recently with her manuscript and anime rights fees. She's invited Shinka and Ryosuke over to play a few times.
He's just about to ring the doorbell when he hears Yamada Elf's exasperated voice from inside.
"I, who am number one on the Oricon charts!"
"I, who am the greatest light novel author in history!"
"Even if it means being slandered as a traitor,"
"I can still write for your publishing company!"
"This is an incredible offer you'll never get again if you miss out!"
"All I did was ask for some information about that Eiri Kashiwagi!"
"You don't know? You're a huge publishing company. Who would believe you don't have the contact information for an illustrator of that caliber?!"