On August 20, 2019, ten days before my birthday, I was still thinking about how I should celebrate it.
But that afternoon, when my mother received my father's biopsy report, everything came crashing down.
Poorly differentiated stomach cancer. The cancerous part of his stomach needed to be removed immediately.
My mother cried until she could barely speak, and I felt as though I had fallen into a bottomless abyss.
So my mother and I kept it from my father, telling him it was only a severe stomach ulcer and that he needed stomach surgery.
Fortunately, someone in our family worked at the hospital, and our parents and classmates also had connections there. After discussing it, since the surgery needed to be done as soon as possible, we did not go elsewhere. He had the operation on the 22nd.
Before the surgery, tests showed that the cancer cells in his stomach had not spread. We were full of hope that after the gastrectomy, perhaps preventive chemotherapy would be enough.
But after the operation, the doctor said he had observed cancer cell metastasis, though a biopsy was needed for the specifics.
Then... cancer metastasis was found in the lymph nodes along the lesser curvature—two in total.
After the successful operation, my father was so weak that even touching the railing at the foot of the bed made him feel pain.
At the same time, I realized that this family needed me to keep it going.
Let me talk about my experience writing novels.
My first book was banned because, while writing it, some of my sentences matched content from other fanfiction novels.
But I had written the dialogue according to the lines in the manga. Still, the editor said that was not allowed because it duplicated someone else's content.
At that time, my father was not yet ill, and I had no pressure at all. I thought, if it was banned, then so be it, so I revised the content and reposted it as a new book.
I was very careful not to overlap with other fanfiction.
Then I posted the old chapters while writing new content, planning to release a massive batch of updates for everyone after my birthday.
But then my father's illness came so suddenly.
When I realized I needed to make money for my father's chemotherapy, I began treating it as work I had to do every day, rather than just a dream.
So I took care of my father during the day, let my mother look after him at night, and went home to write, all the way up to Chapter 400.
Yet today, August 30, on my birthday, while I was still working hard at writing, my book was banned again.
Then the editor told me it was because I had copied and pasted from my old book. In other words, there was no saving it.
In that moment, I completely broke down. I had written so much, and the source of income I had been counting on after getting through this period and releasing a huge batch of updates was just gone.
I wanted to cry, but I could not. I had neither the strength nor the time to cry.
Because I needed to make money.
Fortunately, before writing Detective Conan, I had wanted to write One Piece. Detective Conan had only been an impulsive project, yet I ended up sticking with it.
So on the night the book was banned, I uploaded this book.
At the same time, I want to apologize to the readers who subscribed to both of my books. I also asked the editor whether I could publish without signing a contract, but the answer was no.
So I am truly sorry that I made you waste money without letting you see the end of the story.
But I'm sorry, I have to keep moving forward. I was not even prepared for any of this.
I accept any complaints you may have, but if this book interests you, please continue supporting me.
My deepest thanks.
—August 30, 2019. Happy birthday to me.
Do you know? I typed those four words while crying. I'm fucking unhappy. The malice of this world has driven me to collapse and despair.
If you think this book is good, please remember to add it to your bookshelf so you do not lose it next time.