Comet Dragon, breaking into the gravity field

"That's called 'trading'," correcting the other party's grammatical error, Ritsu Narose couldn't help but feel curious about what kind of people would come here to buy things.

"So what did she buy?"

"Seastone and the magical conch."

"...?"

Turning around, Ritsu Narose silently stared at the stones of various shapes soaked in the water.

He seemed to be about to say something but stopped himself, thinking for a moment and organizing his words... He rested his left hand on his chin, and after completing the three-combo, he didn't know what to say.

It's really nothing——

"By the way, that girl seems to be interested in your novel."

——What a pleasant surprise that the law could not predict!

He integrated the materials he had collected in the past and finally created this book called "Poem of Tianhui Dragon", which tells the story of the Black Eclipse Dragon's transformation into the Tianhui Dragon.

However, this novel has only a slight reputation in some niche forums and on Twitter where he often serializes short stories, and there are almost no readers discussing its content.

Now, a real reader is about to appear beside you!

His heart was beating powerfully!

The dragon energy is about to spray out along the wings of the gun!

"Hey, hey, hey, can you please be a little more restrained?" Seeing the anticipation written all over Ritsu Narose's face, Mello couldn't help but sigh with his hand on his forehead.

Even though he is almost an adult, he is still the same as before. Whenever he encounters something he cares about, he will get excited on his own.

"I'd like to inform you that the customer might come back today. You must not scare him away."

"You've made it big, Mello! You even have repeat customers?"

"Beat you?"

……

On the sunny street outside the store, a girl in a light gray sweatshirt stood silently, observing the aquarium in front of her that looked like a small world through the glass window.

Beneath her gray M-shaped bangs, the girl's amber eyes sparkled with an expectation that was imperceptible to others.

Although she couldn't name these fish, just seeing them swimming around in the rockery made her feel relaxed and happy.

"Isn't he a very cute child?"

"Indeed, it's like a little animal sitting by the water in a daze."

Noticing someone standing outside, the two people inside the store simultaneously shut up. Without making a sound, they both poked their heads out from behind the shelves to secretly observe the "girl observing the aquarium."

"I want to treat her as the heroine of the story."

Smacking his lips, Ritsu Narose gave his highest praise.

4. Poem of the Heavenly Dragon

Before coming to this shop, Takamatsu Deng had never thought that simply soaking the stones in water could make those ordinary-looking stones look unique.

She never thought that there were so many exotic plants in the world.

There's light moss that's slightly sticky and emits a pink glow; there's a water balloon jar that can be filled with water at any time and reused; and there's a special variety of walnut that makes a crackling sound just by heating it.

Although there are still many things in the store that I can’t figure out what they are, they must be magical items.

Passing by the toilet plunger equipped with various LED lights, Takamatsu Deng walked to the front of the shelf on the other side and picked up the novel titled "Poem of Tenkai Ryu".

"Oh↗HOO↘ She took it down! She took it down!" Ritsu Narose, who was hiding behind the shelf, widened her eyes and tried her best to lower her voice so as not to disturb the lovely reader.

"Yeah, yeah. So could you calm down for a moment?"

Melo, who was hiding behind, was suddenly speechless. Why did he have to hide with this idiot?

She is obviously the owner of this store.

Finally realizing this, Miss Melo, who did not want to "go along with the crowd", simply walked out openly and fulfilled her duties as a store owner and clerk for the second time.

Although human currency has little use for her, who can resist the wonderful picture of increasing numbers in their personal account?

After watching this loyal customer leave, Melo proudly held up the thin stack of bills. She even spun around in her office chair, her hair highlights gleaming with excitement.

"Look—this is the money I earned! I earned it all by myself!"

He shouted proudly towards the back of the shelf, but there was no movement at all.

"Hey~ You're not jealous, are you? So jealous that you can't even say a word~"

Trying hard not to laugh, Mello waved three "Natsume Soseki" cards and slowly walked towards Naruse Ritsu's hiding place.

But when she looked behind the shelves, there was no one there.

Only the faint scent of the Sky Comet Dragon remains here.

"Smelly brat..."

Melo, who had been showing off to the air for a long time, suddenly clenched his fists. The good mood he had originally had for the store opening had completely disappeared because someone left without saying goodbye.

"Next time you'll definitely be in trouble!"

Ritsu Narose naturally didn't know that Mello had secretly kept a record of this.

He was busy following the reader.

Following the other person quietly, Ritsu Narose began to wonder where this reader who was like a little animal would read his novel.

Is it a park surrounded by greenery? A stylish coffee shop? Or perhaps a legendary secret society like the Book Club?

Just thinking about it makes me look forward to it!

But I can't disturb her now. I have to wait until she finishes reading the novel.

What should I ask? A summary of my reading experience? My first impressions? Would you be interested in recommending it to others?

Intense psychological activity is taking place inside the body.

But because of her superb mobility and concealment skills, Takamatsu Deng, who kept walking with her head down, had no idea that someone was following her from behind.

He boarded the tram, which, accompanied by the clang of the train, returned to the familiar station. He then crossed the overpass between the green leaves and the blossoms, and soon arrived at the small park near his home.

There were no children playing around in the park. There was only a slide with a mottled surface and yellow sand lying quietly in the sandpit.

Sitting on a bench under the shade of a tree, Gao Songdeng finally opened the cover of the book in his hand, which was an interweaving of black, purple, platinum and gold, and stepped into the story recorded by the observer hanging high in the air.

Although the novel is called "Poem of the Heavenly Dragon", the protagonist of the story seems to have nothing to do with it.

It is not the "Tenkai Dragon" that is radiant and god-like in the illustration, but the "Black Eclipse Dragon" whose entire body is covered with a dull black shell.

Its snake-like head has no eyes, and its vision and hearing rely entirely on the black scales on its body.

However, this scale powder used as a weapon by the Black Dragon not only infects the creatures it touches with a virus and causes them to go mad and die, but it also constantly tortures the dragon itself.

Loneliness and pain seem to be the eternal fate that is entangled with it.

This novel tells the story of the "Black Eclipse Dragon" witnessed by an observer from his perspective.

After an unknown amount of time, Gao Songdeng pulled himself away from this extremely cruel world in his hands and gazed at the lush bushes in the park in silence.

Looking up at the vast blue sky, she recalled the black-clad dragon in the story, and her heart was filled with confusion.

Tormented day and night by a virus, the Black Dragon must shed its skin repeatedly if it wants to grow. But for a Black Dragon, every molt is a test of life and death—a gamble that puts its life on the line.

Each time a Black Dragon successfully sheds its skin, the concentration of the virus in its body increases. It won't transform into a Heavenly Dragon until the final molt.

At this point, the Black Eclipse Dragon, which had been imprisoned, no longer existed in the world. Only the Sky-Circle Dragon, shining with luxurious platinum, spread its wings in the sky, wantonly embracing this brand new world for it.

It was also on that day that it spread a virus that covered the sky and infected all the creatures on the ground.

Just like the scene when it was born at the beginning of the story.

Is this a happy ending?

After enduring a long period of loneliness and wandering in the dust for survival, the weak being finally has the posture he has always dreamed of and can live in the world without any constraints.

It seems to be the best result.

However, the carriers who had endured the pain of the virus for countless days and nights in the past eventually became the source of the suffering it endured.

After the Tianhui Dragon meets the end of its life, the virus will inevitably give birth to a new Black Erosion Dragon, and madness and pain will usher in a new cycle.

Faced with this tragic drama that keeps repeating itself, Gao Songdeng feels that something seems to be wrong, but he can't find the answer to the problem.

Looking at the sky with a sense of loss, she couldn't find the answer she wanted.

"Do you like this story?" - In a trance, it seemed as if someone was asking this question next to me.

Looking down at the closed book, Gao Songdeng fell silent.

She was attracted by the displaced fate in the story, and also resonated with the complex emotions hidden beneath the author's cold writing style.

At the same time, she was also concerned about the ending of the story.

"I... really still don't like it..." Gao Songdeng murmured with his head down, clutching the corners of his clothes with both hands.

thump--

The sound of a heavy object falling to the ground suddenly rang in Gao Songdeng's ears.

Following the sound, she saw a young man in a hoodie kneeling on the ground, bending forward towards her in frustration.

5. Small animals + angels =?

Ah——I really want to die.

[It’s not that I’m sad, it’s just… I really want to die]

[Although I was prepared from the beginning that not everyone would like it, I still felt a little bit overwhelmed when I heard it in person]

From the frustrated forward bend to lying on her face, Ritsu Narose changed her position and lay on the ground.

It's like a corpse in the morgue, which fell sideways during transportation due to the operator's mistake.

The whole person didn't move at all.

His mind went blank. He vaguely heard the sound of shoes rubbing against the ground not far away, which gradually grew louder and finally stopped beside his ear.

"Um, are you okay?"

Using his toes, he managed to stay in the air in an extremely bizarre manner. In that brief moment, he also managed a beautiful 180-degree turn, like sizzling meat on a griddle flipped over by a spatula.

"I'm actually fine." Looking into those beautiful amber eyes, Ritsu Narose, who was lying on the ground, looked calm.

If you think about it, girls of this age should prefer pink and dokidoki stories.

【It is good enough to be able to read it patiently】

[I hope she likes this novel, but it’s a bit difficult…]

Gao Songdeng didn't know what someone was thinking, but she wasn't stupid. She knew the words that had just rang in her ears weren't hallucinations, but inquiries from the stranger in front of her.

"I……"

"I don't like tragedy."

After finishing her unfinished words, the girl mustered up the courage from nowhere and tried to look at the other person.

"This ending is too cruel for the Black Eclipse Dragon..."

After hearing the girl's sincere words, Ritsu Narose, who was lying on the ground with barely a breath left, suddenly blinked his eyes and sat up on the spot, like a dark knight who had escaped from his zombie state.

"From 'Black Eclipse Dragon' to 'Heavenly Dragon'... it was just a change of name, but I don't understand why it went through this final metamorphosis. It's as if it had to sever its past from its present self."

It's the exact same story. Some people use it as a prop to kill time in their spare time, fiddling with it as they please. Others use it as a mirror, reflecting the familiar yet unfamiliar self.

A friend who once stood by Gao Songdeng's side is now a stranger to her, as if they were walking on parallel lines that would never intersect. She doesn't understand why the other party did that, just like she doesn't understand the ending of this story now.

Facing the girl's gaze, Ritsu Narose did not speak immediately, but silently recalled the thoughts he had when he wrote the words.

【Maybe it's the Chuunibyou thing? 】

[Although I was there during the transformation... uh, I was watching from a hundred meters above.]