Bonus Chapter 2
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"Hmm? So far, this protagonist is unremarkable, with no special characteristics. And this seemingly uncharismatic personality, what is Chihiro thinking?!"
Eriri muttered as she turned the pages.
But this was just the beginning. The issues of personality charm and character development were just passing thoughts; perhaps it was intentionally set up this way?
…
To repay the Silver-haired Girl's help, the protagonist, Natsuki Subaru, decided to help her find her lost item.
It was somewhat motivated by infatuation.
During their journey, he helped a lost child find her mother and also conversed with a girl named 'Satella' about being a half-elf. Because he was a transmigrator, their understandings differed, creating a wonderful misunderstanding that subtly drew them closer.
In this part of the story, Izumi Masamune once again demonstrated his improved writing skills, depicting the emotional interactions between people with delicate and moving detail.
Inserting such a plot in the middle, besides adding interaction, also served another particularly important reason.
After all, some things only become exceptionally precious when contrasted.
After a slightly warm exchange, the plot immediately took a huge turn.
Natsuki Subaru entered the dimly lit shack with a lamp.
The corpse in the pool of blood…
The mocking voice that suddenly rang out from behind…
And the fear of near-death before even seeing the opponent's face.
The touch of the pen instantly stirred the readers' emotions.
This scene vaguely brought them back to that day—the day Mami's sudden death.
"Subaru…"
The Silver-haired Girl, who came in to investigate, also fell to the ground, as expected.
"Wait for me, I will save you!"
Natsuki Subaru looked at the Silver-haired Girl beside him, gripped her hand, and said these words as if experiencing a sense of déjà vu.
In a flash, his surroundings returned to that afternoon.
…
"Huh?"
"Wow, you scared me! He died so quickly! There's no way it's that fast! Even Chihiro, you have to follow the rules, hey! It seems like he's gone back in time. Is it some kind of time-based ability? It doesn't seem like a completely useless setting after all."
Eriri gasped, then immediately breathed a sigh of relief as she looked down, beginning to analyze on her own.
After reading "puella magi madoka magica," readers could easily understand what had happened, even guessing the main theme of this light novel: could it be an alternate world version of Homura Akemi and Madoka?
A story where the protagonist endlessly loops to save the Silver-haired Girl?
…
Of course, Izumi Chihiro's design here was slightly different from the original. The original Natsuki Subaru only realized he had the ability to return to the past after dying several times, which was quite a delayed realization.
But here, he set it so that the protagonist realized this point. To confirm this possibility, and also for the emblem, he went to that shack again.
Of course, although the plot design was slightly altered, the outcome would not change. Natsuki Subaru, starting over, did not change the previous result and died once again at Elsa's hands; the only difference was who died.
A sense of oppression and despair instantly washed over him, even making Natsuki Subaru consider giving up.
After all, he was just an ordinary person, not as strong as he imagined. Why should he force himself to endure such suffering?
However, when he glimpsed the profile of the Silver-haired Girl walking by, he abandoned that thought.
"It was infatuation, wasn't it? I always feel like the protagonist isn't as charismatic as I imagined, truly just like an ordinary person, except for being slightly stronger."
Eriri began her merciless Make complaints again.
But seeing this, she wasn't disappointed, because from the current plot, it was finally not some shoddy alternate world work, but one with a certain core and persistence.
As long as it was like this, readers would continue reading for the name 'Izumi Masamune' alone.
By this point, everyone understood.
Clearly, this was not a story of a Dragon-Slaying Protagonist. Although the protagonist had special abilities, his combat power was still insufficient. Only by thinking could he possibly achieve salvation.
No one felt frustrated, because old readers were accustomed to the hardships they experienced in "demon slayer" and "puella magi madoka magica"; this level was just child's play.
…
Elsa's strength was immense, so they could only unite and defeat her with their combined power!
Natsuki Subaru learned to think.
However, he still underestimated Elsa's combat power.
Even with everyone attacking together, they were still no match.
This time, the despair was even greater.
It wasn't until the next loop, with the appearance of the Sword Saint Reinhard, that the death loop finally had a chance to be broken.
Facing the powerful Sword Saint, even Elsa was no match and ultimately fled.
Natsuki Subaru, battered and bruised, saved the Silver-haired Girl and only had one request: to know her true name.
"My name is Emilia."
A comforting smile appeared on the girl's face.
It wasn't until the end of the first volume that readers finally learned the Silver-haired Girl's real name.
...
"It's just so-so, I can only say... it's alright. After making me wait so long, it finally didn't disappoint."
This was Eriri's feeling after reading it.
For her personally, such an evaluation was already quite high.
The writing style was impeccable; it could even be considered first-rate among otherworld works that don't prioritize this aspect, especially the empathy, which felt incredibly real. For example, the description of the protagonist's death gave a terrifying sense of immersion, as if he had truly experienced death.
What she didn't know was that, for a childhood friend, this was also a unique experience, which made it exceptionally real.
"The plot design is also pretty good, it has its own characteristics. A story of reincarnation and salvation is indeed quite appealing, but it's very difficult to write well, especially as the main focus. I wonder if Chihiro can handle it..."
This was Eriri's only concern.
Although Izumi Chihiro wrote the reincarnation story in puella magi madoka magica in detail, the causal relationships during that period were very easy to describe. However, in the new work, the rationality of it would need to be considered to some extent.
Eriri's judgment had also improved.
She was right; this was indeed almost Izumi Chihiro's only difficulty when creating this work.
"Speaking of which, whether he can handle it or not, why am I worrying so much? This is his work, so he should be concerned about it himself. There's no need for an amateur like me to remind him... If sales aren't as expected, he'll be the one crying, that'll teach him to show off all day!"
Eriri muttered to herself, a triumphant, schadenfreude smile on her face.
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💯 PS = 2 bonus chapter