My Youth Romantic Comedy Is Wrong As Expected

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"No, this theory is flawed."

If this theory holds true, the internet would be full of top-tier writers and editors. We can only speak the truth objectively because we're not held accountable. Come on, everyone, let's anonymously and furiously criticize terrible animation and light novels today to correct the world's ways!

While I was mentally playing a game of online righteous militia (I never actually did such a thing).

"Take a look."

Ms. Hiratsuka picked up the stack of papers, pulled out the bottom one, and handed it to me.

"Damn it! This man is too strong!"

"Several of us, all above level twenty, couldn't even touch a single finger of his!"

The bandits, having witnessed my astonishing swordsmanship, were so frightened that their legs and voices trembled.

"Oh, I'm so sorry. My level is... max."

I raised my greatsword, capable of cleaving rocks, and swung it with lightning speed—

call out--!

A gust of wind swept past, followed by a moment of silence. One by one, the enemies fell to the ground.

For some reason, there's always a sense of emptiness after a victory—I turned around, ready to leave the silent battlefield.

"Thank you, Paladin!"

A pitiful voice came from behind—it belonged to a village girl who had been attacked by bandits on this nameless border.

"Ha, a paladin, huh—"

However, I am not worthy of being called by this nostalgic title now; I am merely a traveler.

"What an interesting woman—be careful on your way back."

— Twenty-four days remain until the night of destiny.

The dash is still incredibly annoying.

Did that woman say anything interesting?

Also, it seems like 75 days have passed since the beginning of this story, is it okay to still be writing this kind of slice-of-life plot? Has the Demon King appeared yet?

"How about it?"

"It's viewable now."

She asked for my opinion again, and I gave another casual answer.

"That's not what I meant."

Hiratsuka-sensei shook her head.

"The countdown doesn't end with '24 days left,' but that's the last page."

"Yeah, that's right."

She's right, although I didn't notice because I wasn't curious about what happened next. There's no ending to the story here. There's only "under writing," or something abandoned halfway through.

It's not important.

"I would like to ask you to help me write the rest of the text."

"What?"

Hiratsuka-sensei made an absurd joke. Her expression didn't look like she was joking at all, but the sentence itself sounded like a joke, so it must have been.

"Huh? What?"

I asked "Huh?" three times, intending to keep asking until Hiratsuka-sensei answered "Just kidding."

"Hachiman Valley, where am I?"

"Where... uh, the Service Society office."

Although the two other members were busy, I was the only one here today.

"Yes. Right. That's right."

Upon hearing my answer, Professor Hiratsuka nodded in satisfaction.

"So, I hope you can find a way to finish this unfinished manuscript—it's a request from a dedicated member of the Literature Club to the Service Club. Work hard. That's all."

"No, no, no, no."

I shook my head so hard my neck almost broke. I really wished my head would just fall off and hit Hiratsuka Shizuka in the face.

"What are you talking about? I don't understand at all. You want me to figure out a way to handle this? Wait, what kind of casual request is this... wait, isn't this a work from the literature club?"

"Hmm, a chain novel by members of the Literature Club."

"A chain novel?"

A chain novel written by several people in sequence?

After she pointed it out, I picked up the original manuscript again and read through it. Although it didn't credit every author, the writing style of each paragraph... well, the writing quality was definitely different. Most of it was immature, practice-level work, but there were a few readable passages among them.

"Did you notice? That's right, it's divided into people who can write and people who can't."

Ms. Hiratsuka raised her chin and pointed to the stack of office papers in my hand.

"A club is a microcosm of society. If there are hierarchical differences, various frictions will arise. Simply put, the atmosphere within the club seems quite heavy right now."

"Oh... it seems there's a conflict between people who write seriously and people who write for fun."

Not surprising, given the average level is so low... But being too self-satisfied is also terrifying... I feel sympathy for serious arts clubs and resonance for casual arts clubs at the same time. I can understand the feelings of both sides.

But how should I put it? It's rare for like-minded people to gather in one place, yet the atmosphere has become so tense. I don't even know what the community is for anymore. People really shouldn't gather in groups. The credibility of the "outsider is strongest" theory has increased another notch…

"That's how it is. The chain novel project, which was originally conceived under the guise of uniting the members, now seems to be nothing more than a source of conflict."

"Why not just cancel the project altogether?"

Anyway, it probably won't be a very good piece of work.

"It's not that easy. If the project is canceled, those who want to continue writing will feel resentful."

We have to argue about even this again. What a hassle. Outsiders are definitely the strongest.

"For example, how about you participating as an excellent lecturer, which would elevate the overall quality of this work?"

Hiratsuka-sensei gave me a smile that seemed to be testing me.

"I don't want to."

I really don't want to. Who does this person think I am? I don't have that ability or that nerve.

"Besides, it's only making the atmosphere worse if outsiders who aren't members get involved in this kind of thing."

As I spoke, an idea instantly popped into my head. Could having a common enemy improve the team's unity? I exhaled and shifted my gaze. The tea set remained in its original place. There was no aroma of black tea in the clubroom now.

"This option is now invalid."

I answered decisively.

"I think so."

Hiratsuka-sensei gave a gentle smile.

"Other methods would be better. Please think of something, Service Society."

"Eek—"

It sounds like there are many options available...

"Well, what I mean is, the other two people didn't come today, so I can't accept the commission based on my own opinion."

"What does it matter? Just tell them it's the Hiratsuka case."

"You're acting like this isn't the Hiratsuka case, but this is a consultant harassing a staff member? Huh, is it okay to do this kind of thing in this day and age?"

"Then I'll leave it to you."

I implied to her that what she was doing was illegal, and the suspect, Hiratsuka, quickly left the office.

Left alone in the clubroom, I stared at the stack of office papers that Ms. Hiratsuka had placed there.

"well……"

She so readily dumped these troublesome tasks on us. However, since she said it was club activity—work—I had no choice. Hiratsuka-sensei's near-moral blackmail was training me to become more and more of a corporate slave, unable to resist the "because it's work" theory. Work truly is a bad civilization.

Fortunately, I had a strange connection with someone aspiring to be a novelist. This man seemed to always be short of readers, and he seemed particularly suited to writing this type of novel. Quality aside for now.

After returning home, I contacted Yi Hui, the woodworker.

"I'm on my deathbed in 99 days, I'm kicked out of the Knights, but I'm living a slow-paced life, going on rampage through dungeons, and having a happy life with the villainous saintess ~The Resurrected Dark Four Heavenly Kings Arc~"

At the same time, night fell on the demonboundary神Palace.

异endExamineask官They descended to the altar, which shone with vibrant light.

"The time is ripe... Awaken, my fellow countrymen."

The shadow that emerged from the darkness in response to his voice was a bubble.

"Hehehe, the gravity I haven't experienced in a thousand years is really unbearable."

Burning cold air. Frozen flames. An eternal antinomy.

"Hmm—what a wonderful dark night.""Hey! Can I go kill some people for fun?"

Overflowing magicPoweryuanVegetarianIt is the ceaseless flow of time.

"Hehehe... I've kept you waiting, descendants of my distant homeland."

The last sight the unfortunate traveler saw while walking through the streets was—

"Waaaaaah! Who...who are you?!"

—A great hero, a traveler of truth.

"Hahaha! I am the one-eyed demonic dragon! One of the Four Dark Kings, 'The Crawler in the Darkness,'..."Match"Shadows and corrupt, chaotic timber!"

On that day, the end of eternity descended upon the world.

—Nine days remain until the night of destiny.

"What is this thing?"

After reading that article, Yukino Yukinoshita's first words were these five words.

I ignored her accusing gaze and, like Hiratsuka-sensei, pretended not to understand.

"What do you mean by 'this thing'? You need to be clear when you ask questions."

“…………”

A soft sigh escaped beneath the snow.

"Then I'll ask you one more time. What did you show me?"

"novel."

"A novel... well, yes, let's just call it that for now."

This hesitant way of speaking sounds so familiar.

"This is an article provided by a high school sophomore who aspires to be a writer. Although it is a poorly written piece, it is still a work in which the person involved poured his soul."

"work."

Yukinoshita shifted her gaze back to the manuscript paper, and fine lines gradually appeared between her brows.

"This is called a work of art...Is that so? Japanese is truly a language of broad-mindedness."

I felt a surge of anxiety. Would this woman take the original manuscript I brought and discard it...?

But I can also really empathize with Yukinoshita's feelings. Last night, while reading the novel that Zaimokuza gave me, I was choked by its intense self-satisfaction, and my brow furrowed. It's said that people with chuunibyou (middle school syndrome) tend to put nouns at the end of sentences.

By the way, Yukinoshita has only finished reading the first paragraph. I wonder what kind of expression she would have if she knew that the next nine paragraphs were all written by Zaimokuza-sensei.

Anyway, that was me last night. - Reader Hachiman Hikigaya

Right now, I'm editor Hachiman Hikigaya. And a terrible editor who completely lacks professionalism. If I were really an editor, I'd be the type who unintentionally hurts writers and then goes on a social media spree of exposés.

Furthermore, the ideal of "wanting to make a good book" doesn't exist in my heart. I'll clearly distinguish between the writer and the reader, and I'll only think about how to make the work run smoothly every day. I want to be that kind of editor. No, not exactly, but I'll suppress my emotions so I can complete the work with ease. I'll also do my best to protect Zaimokuza's novels.

This is a rare instance where I went against my conscience and bowed to him, showering him with sweet words and coaxing him into writing this manuscript. In a sense, it's like my child. Now that things have come to this, I don't care about the quality of the work itself. In fact, you could say a child's naiveté is endearing. I want to protect this child, and I also want to finish my work quickly.