A youth story of a passerby at the end of the world

A youth story of a passerby at the end of the world

Author: Nero the Archduke

Summary:

He once wore armor and helmet at Hulao Pass, but was eventually killed at Xiapi. He once charged with a flag in Jerusalem, but was killed in a foreign land. He was stabbed in Toba-Fushimi, and carried a gun in Stalingrad.

Finally he returned to the peaceful modern world, a world with Sobu High School, Toyogasaki, and Minegahara High School... He felt that this time he could probably die peacefully.

It was not until noon that I saw a zombie unconsciously banging on the school gate. It seemed that this world was not as simple as it seemed.

Volume 1: Taking Office as Executive Department

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Standing in front of the Tebundo Bookstore and the Wagyu City Station Store, Uesugi Genshin was looking at the not-so-long line behind him. He was standing straight at the front of the queue.

Ah... As expected, when he looked behind him, the first and most conspicuous person he saw was the guy standing behind him. From a stereotypical perspective, he was a typical otaku with glasses.

White sneakers, black trousers and a T-shirt with green and white horizontal stripes, and a backpack, complemented his very sleek-looking hairstyle and thick black square-framed glasses.

But just like the way he dresses and the temperament he exudes from the inside out, he is indeed an avid homebody.

Fortunately, I took a taxi here before the first bus, otherwise I wouldn’t have been able to get the first seat, which would have been meaningless.

For today, he specially cut his hair shorter, which he usually grew long and wanted to tie into a bun, and changed into a slightly neutral white shirt. With the handsome curves supported by his body that he paid attention to exercising in his spare time, he looked so young and professional that he could be mistaken for a college student or a recent graduate.

He lazily picked his ears and waited quietly for the time to come.

The glass on both sides of the bookstore are covered with promotional leaflets of popular light novels. Of course, the most eye-catching one is "Love Metronome", two volumes of which have been published.

Today is a signing event to thank the author and celebrate the reprint of the second volume after it comes out.

Well, it's just to let everyone see what the author looks like, win over loyal book fans, and it's also a form of publicity and hype.

Considering the style of the organizer, Fuzugawa Bunko, the first one may account for a larger proportion, and the public appearance will have a huge impact on some writers.

This is also something I want to mention. The protagonist of the autograph session here is the author of "Love Metronome" - Kasumi Shiko.

He was holding two books in his hands. The first volume had not yet been opened. The jacket had a bright and colorful slogan printed on it: "The highly anticipated debut of a new artist who won the 40th Fantastic Award!"

This is to boost sales. After all, light novels have only been around for less than 10 to 20 years, and the so-called 40 chapters... you can imagine how valuable they are.

But even the first prize winner of a novel award may sometimes be forced to cut short due to poor sales.

Fortunately, with the normal publication and reprint of the second volume, the vitality of this light novel in hand is continuing to rise.

Kasumi Shiko herself was officially hailed as a talented woman of the new era, but the gimmick of her debut as a high school student was not used due to the author's own wishes. This is probably a regret for Fuzugawa Bunko, otherwise the popularity would have increased significantly.

When it was 8 o'clock, the store's opening time, the bookstore clerk opened the door. Perhaps he was used to autograph sessions, so he said, "Thank you for your hard work. Please come this way," and then very skillfully directed the long line to the corner of the store where the autograph session was held.

The signing event hasn't officially started yet, it's just the opening time of the bookstore. As the frontmost fan, Uesugi Genshin was looked at a few more times by the clerk and then led directly to the fence inside the store.

I haven't reached the corner yet, and I can't see the table and chair where Kasumi Shiko will sit later. Perhaps they don't want Kasumi Shiko to appear hastily, so they keep some mystery.

After a clerk said "line up", another female clerk with twin ponytails stood right in front of the line like a sentry. Not to mention that she was looking straight ahead, in the direction of Uesugi Genshin, so he couldn't even stare blankly ahead.

He took the opportunity to observe the environment of the bookstore: bright lights, waxed rectangular wooden floors, and rows of brown bookcases filled with series of books. The uniform color of their spines showed that there were more than one volume, and they were neatly arranged.

The bookshelf on the left hand side is indeed filled with light novels, with a few of them placed at the outermost side at a positive angle. From the color pictures on the cover, one can tell at a glance what the content is. Fortunately, there is no trend of giving books longer and longer names nowadays, or rather, it has not reached an outrageous level yet.

The titles of books are basically simple and intuitive, and you can tell the content of the book at a glance, just like the "Love Metronome" in your hand, which tells the love story of Naoto and Sayuka.

Looking around, I didn't see the book "Love Metronome", but instead saw the book he copied himself. This is really...

As time goes by, the female clerk in front of me still looks straight ahead, looking very dedicated. I don't know what she is looking at.

The signing event was finally about to begin. Uesugi Genshin was spinning the book in his hand, and he was in distress.

“Is it according to the standard answer?”

Pretending to be a fanatical fan, talking endlessly and praising, even the expression on his face had to be fake,

Ah, if it were that close friend, he would definitely say that what one is pursuing with fake things is definitely not the real thing. He made a vague decision in his heart.

The clerk removed the fence, and the long line outside the store finally began to move.

When Uesugi Genshin turned the corner, he saw Kasumi Shiko, or Kasumigaoka Shiwa, standing in front of the table. The former is a pen name and the latter is her real name.

She is obviously a high school student but she is wearing a white women's suit. She is as dazzling as a white rose in the sun. Her face is a little childish, but her figure matches the clothes. At first glance, the white hip skirt has the elegance of a fishtail skirt. The black tights and black high heels are mostly covered by the white tablecloth.

She looked up at Uesugi Genshin approaching, her ruby-like eyes getting closer and closer, a white headband on her long, smooth black hair, delicate features, and a relatively quiet appearance, worthy of being one of the two beauties of the private Fengzhizaki School

"Hello! Nice to meet you, Teacher Kasumi!" Uesugi Genshin calmly handed over the first volume in his hand.

"Thank you... I heard from the clerk that you came to line up very early?" Kasumigaoka Utaha first glanced at the young man who was dressed neatly and refreshingly, took the first volume, sat down, and stretched out her slender fingers to the black marker on the table.

"Ah, the morning air is so fresh. There are always a few occasions in life where you absolutely cannot be late. As a fan of your books, I am really lucky to be the first one in line."

"Actually, you don't have to work so hard... After all, it seems that more than half of the queue tickets are still left." She said this self-deprecatingly, but did not show any loss of composure, and she still maintained a dignified and beautiful posture.

"Well, but the book Love Metronome is the best romance novel I have ever read in my life."

"Thank you for your compliment."

"I have read the first volume five times, and every time I was moved by the delicate emotions in the book. The two of them always subtly miss each other's feelings, which makes people anxious."

It's probably to the extent that I really want to drive you crazy. Every reader is a masochist, and the author is even worse.

And the five times is also true. Just like reading A Dream of Red Mansions, this book has many things worth learning from the love story depicted in the beautiful writing style.

"I see...you've read it so many times."

"Well, as the first book fan you met today, please accept this gift for Teacher Xia."

As he spoke, Uesugi Genshin handed over another book in his hand.

"......?" She just saw the person in front of her holding a book. She thought it was the second volume of "Love Metronome"...

"Although the final volume has not been released yet, I have already received permission from the editor, so it is not considered a leak. I have already signed it, and I hope Kasumi-sensei won't mind."

"......!!" Kasumigaoka Utaha looked at the novel handed to her by the white-haired girl sitting on the suitcase.

Ms. Machida Yuanzi, the editor of Kasumigaoka Utaha, who was wearing a dark blue suit, came over and looked at the cover of the novel handed over by Uesugi Genshin - "The Sky of Fate"

"You...you are not the one who told me that you are a fool. You are not the one who told me that you are a fool. You are not the one who told me that you are a fool. You are not the one who told me that you are a fool.

"Ah."

"Ah..." Machida Sonoko opened her mouth slightly, a little surprised. This is really rare to see a new and popular writer supporting a new and popular writer.

"Teacher Blink!" The boy with glasses who was standing very close behind Uesugi Genshin exclaimed.

The fanatical exclamation attracted the attention of everyone present, and the people behind him whispered, "What a beautiful girl!" "Is this true?"

Most of the people who could come here to attend the light novel writers' appreciation party have some otaku elements, and they were recognized immediately.

"You are really a fresh and beautiful girl.

"Yeah." Uesugi Genshin replied with a smile to the boy wearing glasses.

"Ahhh, is God blessing me today? I actually met two writers I like here." He said loudly, ignoring the gazes from the surroundings, "Could it be that the blooming flowers are the real stars of the Chinese nation?"

"Ah."

Seeing Uesugi Genshin nodded, the boy with glasses continued, "Really? Really? I also like Teacher Xia's novels very much. I have even read them twenty times, and I feel something different every time."

"I know that teacher Kasumi's writing style is better than mine, and the characters she portrays are also very excellent. The love story between Naoto and Sayuka inspired me for a new work that has not yet been written." Uesugi Genshin looked at Kasumigaoka Utaha, and the very direct praise for her made her lower her head.

"New! New work! So soon, will the next new work also adopt bold settings? Or rather, is the setting of this real girl too bold?"

"Hahaha, so there is an open ending in the end. Please stay tuned for this. The attraction of my work is just breaking taboos. As for this pure love work inspired by Teacher Kasumi, I am also hesitating whether I can handle it or continue to write a commercial work. If I have the talent of Teacher Kasumi, maybe I won't hesitate."

Uesugi Genshin's words made Kasumigaoka Utaha stop the marker in her hand, and she raised her head and wanted to speak.

"No, I'm really looking forward to the experience after it's made into a game. Do you have such a plan?"

Uesugi Genshin noticed Kasumigaoka Utaha's slightly open mouth, "Teacher Kasumi?"

I suddenly forgot what I had just said and stammered, "...ah, um...what a mess!"

"Don't call me teacher. I'm just a newly debuted writer like you." Uesugi Genshin felt a little embarrassed by the honorifics of his peers. "How about I call you senior?"

"School? Senior!"

"I am a first-year high school student who has just enrolled in Chiba Prefecture."

"Hey hey hey!!!" The boy with glasses behind him exclaimed again.

Machida Sonoko next to her was looking at the two people in front of her with a smile on her face, and couldn't help but sigh at this "epic" scene, the meeting of her two generals would bring great success to the Fuzugawa Bunko!

This person unexpectedly has the potential to be an excellent worker.

Kasumigaoka Utaha was a little confused, "Junior?"

It is true that she is my junior, although we are not in the same school, but she is indeed in the second year of high school.

"Ahhh, not like her at all. I didn't expect her to be so young... Although she is indeed very young." The boy with glasses behind him said in surprise.

"How about we go out and find a coffee shop to continue chatting?" Uesugi Genshin suggested to the person behind him with a smile, "Teacher Kasumi is the protagonist today, so we shouldn't interfere with other people's support here."

"Ah, really? I didn't expect that you would be so kind to me..." As she said that, she took a step forward and walked to the table vacated by Uesugi Genshin, and handed the book "Love Metronome" to Kasumigaoka Utaha with both hands, "Please, Teacher Kasumi."

Kasumigaoka Utaha first handed the signed book to the gentle young man standing beside the table, then took the book from the otaku and signed her name skillfully.

"Thank you for coming today." He expressed his gratitude to his book fans somewhat mechanically.

The man on the other side still had a fanatical look on his face, "Yes!"

The words passed by without being heard. Later, I watched the "chopping and baking" and the "smashing yellow husky" sound. The "chopping and baking" sound was really a joke. The "chopping and baking" sound was really a joke. The "chopping and baking" sound was really a joke. The "chopping and baking" sound was really a joke.

From a distance, he could be heard saying to the bespectacled book lover next to him, "...gamification. I still haven't found an artist that satisfies me."

"Ah, then I know...the painter... Kashiwagi Eri."

She looked at the team in front of the table again, took a deep breath, and continued with today's activities.

-----------------

"Thank you for your hard work." Kasumigaoka Utaha and Machida Sonoko said words of thanks to the bookstore clerk and ended today's autograph session.

She sat on the chair again, picked up the book "The Sky of Fate" that had been placed on the table before, and ran her fingertips across the name on the cover.

"Stand..."

Kasumigaoka Utaha opened the Internet and searched for the information on

"I went to Kasumi Shiko's autograph session today. I had so much fun. I can understand the feelings of the book fans. Hmm."

The most popular comment below is "When are you going to hold your first autograph session?"

Ah, the popularity is quite high, and there are a lot of replies under this comment, "Yes, yes." "Lazy writer!" "Look forward to it!"

Turning the pages further, I saw photos of the book covers he posted when he bought the first and second volumes, with words saying "Highly recommended, very nice, I really like teacher Kasumi Shiko's books."

She casually opened the book again, skipped over the first few beautifully colored pages, and suddenly found a book-sized piece of paper in the middle of the book.

"What? What?" Ms. Machida came closer with gossip and teasing in her tone.

She ignored the editor's mischief and opened the folded paper. It was a sketch, but it was very detailed.

The boy and girl were lying on the paper, holding photos of their opposite images. The youthful JK had become a full-time housewife, and the decadent young man had become a fashionable handsome man. The distance between their hands was almost enough to hold each other. In the space between them was written:

No matter who we are, there is a side that we don't want others to know.

A classmate with a completely opposite personality and whom I have never spoken to.

It used to be so.

We became co-owners of the time that each other did not want to be known.

This is......

"Roar." The voice of Ms. Machida next to me came to my ears.

Kasumigaoka Utaha recalled the previous "The scene of the beheading of the fresh meat"

Does this mean he wants me to give him some advice on his new work?

"Ms. Machida, please come and take a look at me.

"Yes, Shi-chan, what's wrong?"