As a representative of Japan's culinary world.
The posts from a certain blond tsundere on Twitter had almost all been introductions to delicious food.
Only today, there was one more: a book review.
Utaha Kasumigaoka had only just read that review, but reading it again now gave her countless new insights. Inspiration kept flowing into her mind as she followed the review's descriptions.
However, when Utaha Kasumigaoka scrolled down.
Hmm, there was something new!
PS: "Teacher Utako Kasumi, when will the third volume of Love Metronome come out? Someone once said that if an author doesn't update, you can lock them in a little black room and give them a bite to eat for every chapter they write. Is that true?"
Utaha Kasumigaoka: "..."
Hey, hey, hey! Could you not ask something so terrifying in such an innocent tone? What do you mean, a bite to eat for every chapter? At the very least, it should be a whole meal!
Luckily, she hadn't spoken up first. Utaha Kasumigaoka felt rather pleased with her own cleverness.
She looked at the replies.
In just a few minutes, there were already over 200,000, and the number kept refreshing.
Some were serious:
"Does Lady Erina like reading light novels too? As expected, foodies and otaku are kindred spirits."
"Buying it, buying it, absolutely buying it! I get to read the same light novel as the Lady with God's Tongue. Mom, thank you for giving birth to me! I'm so happy!"
Others were less serious:
"Locking the author in a little black room is a must, but if you give them food, won't they just slack off?"
"What? They get meals in the little black room? Did Lady Erina cook for them herself? Waaah, I'm suddenly so jealous of that author named Utako Kasumi!"
"Light novelists get perks like that? I can't take it anymore. I'm going to write! I'm going to become a light novelist! I want Lady Erina to lock me in a little black room! I'll finish a chapter, and Lady Erina will feed me a bite of her cooking!!!"
"Wake up, you above! Can you guarantee your novel will catch Lady Erina's attention?"
Utaha Kasumigaoka's mouth twitched as she read the ridiculous comments. Were these people all masochists or something?
But...
She shook her head. Would these ridiculous netizens really like reading her novels?
After a long silence, Utaha Kasumigaoka suddenly murmured, "Taihei Doma... I'm starting to get curious about who you are. What should I do?"
Meanwhile.
In the hallway,
Taihei Doma, who was on his way to report to a teacher, was also muttering to himself. "Love Metronome? Utaha Kasumigaoka, Utako Kasumi... Why does that sound so familiar...?"
He rubbed his chin and continued thinking.
"Was that an anime I watched in my past life? Hmm..."
"Eromanga Sensei? Oreimo? Saekano...?"
"Wait!"
As though he'd thought of something, Taihei Doma began to recall it carefully.
After a while,
he slapped his forehead and said:
"Ahaha, so it's Saekano! Hahaha... Come to think of it, did I just spoil the story right to one of the heroines' faces? That's trou... delightful!"
Taihei Doma, a transmigrator from the Celestial Empire, had a cheat. A standard-issue guy!
Taihei Doma: "I can't believe this standard-issue crap. Right now, I've only got one dream: get rid of this cheat, make a huge pile of money, live a happy everyday life, and eventually move back to the Celestial Empire with my useless little sister. Only those mythical beasts of censorship can save me!!"
Once again, for the record: Taihei Doma had a cheat!
At this very moment,
a virtual panel that no one else could access floated before his eyes, its contents clearly displayed.
Memory LV4/? (10/2000) {As long as you wish, you can recall most things from the past. You can also spend a small amount of experience to upgrade this skill.}
See? The standard leveling-system stuff. Handy, right?
Taihei Doma: "Has the experience required for Memory already dropped to 10? No wonder I only remembered it now... Looks like I can quit the whiskey."
Does that sound like something a human would say?
And yet,
only he knew it was necessary. That virtual panel in front of him was a godawful cheat!
Back when he was young and naive, he'd raised Memory to LV5. Then... the virtual panel had changed a little.
The description now read: Memory LV5 (As long as you want, you can recall even your first cry as a baby in your past life. Your memory experience is increasing. Perhaps you'll soon remember the whispers of the void from before life first appeared...)
Hahahaha...
Cthulhu. This was Cthulhu, right? What did it mean, the whispers of the void before life appeared? That had to be Cthulhu! If he really remembered it, his SAN would plummet, wouldn't it? It absolutely would!
Taihei Doma declared that this wouldn't scare him!
So,
when he was eleven, fearless as ever, he got drunk as a salted duck egg. He still remembered how his older brother Taihei had gaped at his younger brother drunkenly grabbing their father and chanting, "We're buddies, we're buddies..."
Never mind what expression their father had worn.
Just think about the law.
In Japan, underage drinking was a crime!
If not for the Doma Family...
After a chaotic scuffle, Taihei Doma learned how to suppress his suffering. Well, his butt hurt a lot, and about half his limbs were probably broken... At the same time, he realized what a godawful cheat this was.
Humans had limits, but Taihei Doma, with his cheat, had none!
Sounds awesome, right?
And yet,
as you gazed into the abyss, the abyss gazed back at you. As you surpassed mortal limits, certain great beings would also turn their eyes toward you!
Taihei Doma firmly believed this.
His evidence was the piano competition when he was eleven.
He'd studied piano for less than half a year, yet was competing alongside pianists from all over Japan, of all different ages. Taihei Doma said he didn't feel the least bit nervous.
Just look at the piano skill on the skill panel (virtual screen): Piano LV6/(22/99999). Beneath your fingers, even Chopin would forget his sorrows. Even Beethoven would regain his hearing as he listened to you play, then cheer for you...
How awesome was that?
And yet,
that piano competition was the last time Taihei Doma ever played the piano!
Of course,
it wasn't because the performance had gone badly, but because...
he hadn't even finished playing his competition piece when he realized something was wrong!
The audience was entranced...
The critics were speechless...
Taihei Doma was completely immersed in the music...
Then,
his experience began skyrocketing, and everything before Taihei Doma's eyes turned bloodred.
"Piano has officially reached LV7. Confirm? Perhaps you can now play the majestic music of the primordial universe. Perhaps this will stir the memories of certain great beings..."
The glaring red made Taihei Doma stop. The young boy looked down at the audience.
They seemed possessed, as if mad.
"Why? Why did you stop?"
"That was music from heaven!"
"Finish it... Please, finish that piece!"
"To hell with the judges' comments! Skip that part and finish the piece!"
"His SAN really took a nosedive..." Taihei Doma shook his head and stepped away from the piano. Waiting for him were Taihei Doma, still gaping, and the fury of the father of two... no, three.
According to his brother Taihei's account, Taihei Doma went half a month without showing off.
Before you continue