Bonus Chapter 1
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Early June, the tail end of spring.
A light rain began early in the morning. Pedestrians walked along the green belt, and with a gentle sniff, they could smell the fragrance of the soil.
However, the rain stopped not long after.
Without feeling the gradually rising temperature as summer approached, and free from the gloom brought by the rain.
Today was a good day.
A good day for reading.
"Great, now I don't need an umbrella when I go out."
Eriri looked up at the window, her voice full of joy.
"Kasan, I'm going out for a bit."
She quickly changed her clothes and left.
...
A large bookstore under Fujikawa Bunko.
Although it was located in a relatively secluded part of the commercial street, during certain periods, its popularity would explode, far surpassing other stores.
Today, before the store even opened, a long line had already formed.
"Phew… the rain stopped!"
"Tsk tsk, at least we don't have to get wet in the rain anymore."
"But my clothes are still a bit damp. I'll go home and take a bath after buying the books."
"I checked the weather forecast before coming, but I didn't expect the rain to stop so quickly. I was really careless. I originally wanted to mock you all, to get back at you for your earlier taunts."
Everyone had different expressions regarding this.
However, their goal was consistent.
On such a specific day, it was definitely different from usual. If it weren't for the works released that day, they wouldn't have woken up so early to wait, but would instead wait until the afternoon when there were fewer people to slowly browse.
"What kind of style do you think Old Thief's "Re:zero - Starting Life In Another World" will be?"
Someone started the topic.
"I, for one, don't believe Old Thief will follow the same style as others. Didn't the previous magical girl surprise everyone?"
"Exactly, I feel like Old Thief will continue his previous style."
"Hiss, if it's like before… a chill involuntarily ran down my spine."
"Everyone's judgment is very consistent, it seems you are all old readers."
"Indeed, besides old readers, those who come to buy books this early are probably just proxies."
"I'm buying it for my younger sister… she's a loyal fan of Izumi-sensei, she hasn't missed a single one of his works."
"Hmm? Although I knew Old Thief had many female fans, I didn't expect it to be true."
"Hey, Big Brother-in-law, can we get to know each other? I'll give you this spot."
"Get lost! My sister is only fifteen this year, how old are you? Your beard is almost full-grown."
"Hahaha…"
Amidst everyone's laughter, the bookstore's door suddenly opened.
Everyone's expressions instantly froze.
The most anticipated moment had arrived!
…
"Sawamura Student, Nayuta-sensei's new work, "A Silent Voice", Volume 1, is also being released tomorrow. Don't forget, okay?"
Eriri happily hugged the light novel she had just acquired. As she was about to leave, she heard Takasago Tomoe's reminder.
The two authors' publication times clashed. Because releasing on the same day might affect their sales performance, Fujikawa Bunko intentionally staggered their releases.
Not only that, but there was also this unspoken understanding with the other two larger bookstores.
"I know, you don't need to remind me, hmph!"
The girl's expression turned cold. She stopped, looked back, and then walked away with her head held high.
"What a troublesome person… Sawamura Student, it's truly your good fortune to have a childhood friend like Izumi-kun."
Takasago Tomoe looked at the departing figure of the girl and made a different judgment than others.
Her occasional jokes were actually her truest inner thoughts.
She also wanted to have such a childhood friend.
Therefore, she believed that their acquaintance was Eriri's luck, not Izumi Chihiro's luck.
…
"Eriri, you rushed out before even eating breakfast?"
Sawamura Sayuri asked as she saw her daughter push open the door and enter.
"What's the rush? The food is there, it won't run away."
Eriri said while changing her shoes.
"The book won't run away either… If it's not a problem, just let that boy give it to you. He's a creator, right? Is there a need to run out so early in the morning to buy a book?"
Sawamura Sayuri asked curiously.
"No! Those are completely different feelings!"
Eriri denied.
"They're both reading, what's the difference… Besides, it's just sending a book. Could Chihiro possibly mock you?"
Sawamura Sayuri retorted.
"Who knows."
Eriri twitched her lips.
"I'm going back to my room."
She quickly finished her breakfast and then rushed back to her room.
"The feeling of looking at it like this is completely different from seeing it online."
Eriri looked at the cover illustration of the work, seeing even more vibrant colors in it.
"Sagiri's personal style is truly taking shape, progressing very quickly."
The formation of a personal style lies in long-term self-practice and the assimilation of others' strengths until one's own unique style is formed and gradually becomes distinct.
For example, if a famous cartoonist in the industry were to draw a character, one would know whose hand it came from without even needing an explanation.
This is an identifier, and also a form of recognition.
She opened the flyleaf.
Several character illustrations, and a line left by the author—
"Death is not the end of life; oblivion is."
"Always spouting these useless, flowery words, Chihiro, you have author's disease too, huh."
Eriri smiled, continued to turn the page, and the story began.
This sentence might hold some deeper meaning, but based on her understanding of her childhood friend, you wouldn't grasp it until the work progressed to a certain point, so she didn't overthink it and got straight to the point.
At the very beginning was a simple self-introduction.
His name is Natsuki Subaru. He is an ordinary high school student with exceptional arm strength who somehow transmigrated to another world after buying instant noodles at a convenience store.
"What a perfunctory way to transmigrate… It's not reincarnation, nor soul transmigration, but body transmigration? He wasn't summoned either, so it's not the 'summoned hero' trope?"
The beginning didn't surprise the twin-tailed girl. She continued reading.
According to his description, Natsuki Subaru's life didn't immediately grant him extraordinary talent or an invincible golden finger like other transmigrators or reincarnators. He was just an ordinary person who had entered another world and was doing nothing. Although he was very curious about this world, he couldn't do anything in an unfamiliar place.
Even though he was useless, his clear newbie appearance still drew attention, and he ended up cornered in an alley.
Just as he was being robbed and preparing to fight back, the Silver-haired Girl, the source of all evil, finally appeared in his sight…!
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💯 PS = 2 bonus chapter