"Haha, my place is pretty cramped and run-down, so please bear with me."
Hayashi carefully cradled Pochita in his arms, carrying the puppy over to one of the few corners of the room that wasn't currently cluttered with drawing supplies and paper.
He set down the small pet bed he had just bought, then promptly opened a fresh bag of high-quality dog food and topped it off with a generous serving of canned wet food for Pochita to enjoy.
Watching his smooth, practiced movements, Akane suddenly asked, "Mr. Aoyama, have you raised pets before?"
"I used to have a little cat named Midori. I actually managed to bribe her away from her mother using a handful of cat treats."
Hayashi answered casually.
To be precise, Midori, the cat he had raised in his past life, had been practically entrusted to him by her mother, a stray cat who was dying after her lower body had been brutally crushed by a car on a busy road.
Seeing how pitiful the dying mother was, Hayashi had spent her final days constantly bringing treats to feed her. In her final moments, the mother cat had somehow conveyed her desire for him to look after Midori.
Midori... Green Water... Akane suddenly realized the connection between Hayashi's name and the cat's name. Aoyama (Blue Mountain) and Midori (Green Water/Emerald Water); the pet's name perfectly complemented the owner's name.
It felt a little strange, but...
"Where is the little cat now?"
Akane asked, her voice filled with curiosity.
"She's at my other home..." Hayashi awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck. "Unfortunately, I don't really have any way of going back there right now."
Fortunately, in his past life, he had bought a high-tech automatic feeder for Midori. Given her intelligence--she was a smart calico cat, after all--she would likely be able to survive just fine by hunting or finding other sources of food even if the feeder ran dry.
Even though Hayashi was genuinely worried about her, he firmly believed that Midori was clever enough to live a good life even without him.
"Ah, I see. So Mr. Aoyama isn't originally from around here then."
Sudden realization dawned on Akane.
"I guess you could say I'm half-local. My father's side is from Old Capital, but my mother was originally from the Harbor District district right here in The Metropolis."
Hayashi explained with a faint, nostalgic smile.
He was technically referring to his past life's history, but as it turned out, those details perfectly matched the original owner's ID card information in this world as well.
"Then why did you decide to move out and rent such a small place on your own? Why didn't you stay with your grandparents or other relatives?"
Akane pressed further, her curiosity clearly piqued.
"My grandparents passed away a long time ago."
Hayashi shrugged his shoulders dismissively.
To be brutally honest, he was essentially all alone in this world. He had absolutely no idea where he would even begin to look for any living relatives.
"Ah... I am so sorry..." Akane immediately clasped her hands together and offered a sincere apology.
"It's fine. There's really nothing for you to apologize for." Hayashi replied, clearly not bothered by the sensitive topic.
Right as they were talking, Akane's gaze suddenly drifted toward the ancient, cluttered desk sitting in the corner, where several stacks of drawing paper were neatly organized.
Out of sheer curiosity, she reached out and picked up a few pages, only to find herself staring at several panels of incredibly vivid and high-quality manga.
"Mr. Aoyama... are you actually a manga artist?"
Her eyes widened in surprise as she asked.
"I guess I can barely consider myself one. In reality, I primarily do it just to scrape together enough money to keep myself fed."
Hayashi answered after a brief moment of consideration.
Strictly speaking, he probably wasn't a "real" manga artist yet. After all, simply being able to draw a few pretty pictures didn't automatically make you a mangaka.
A true mangaka also had to possess the creative talent to craft an original, compelling story, right?
But in reality, he was merely a "literary thief"--a transmigrator copying works from his past life. At the very least, he possessed enough self-awareness to recognize that fact.
However, he wasn't a total idiot. He certainly wasn't going to bluntly announce to the world that he was a transmigrator who had crossed over from another dimension specifically to plagiarize its cultural works.
Even if his mind was technically a bit "messed up," there was a massive difference between having mental issues and being a complete moron, after all.
"This is drawn remarkably well... and this is your own original work, right?"
Akane remarked as she flipped through the pages, intently reading the unfolding plot.
These specific pages were from the final section of Chapter 23, which Hayashi had only just finished drawing. The plot at this point directly corresponded to the climax of the sixth episode of the original anime from his past life.
Specifically... the tragic moment where David's mentor and surrogate older brother, Maine, finally loses himself to cyberpsychosis and is brutally gunned down by a Max-Tac squad.
The scene Senri was currently looking at featured Maine's final, desperate plea for David to save himself.
"David... this is my destination..."
"But you have to live..."
"Weren't you always faster than everyone else?"
"Now... keep running..."
...
Even though Akane hadn't read a single page of 'Edgerunners' until this very moment, the sheer emotional weight of the dialogue--combined with the absolute, vacant hollow look in Maine's eyes--was enough to move her to the core.
Finally, the chapter concluded with a chillingly silent panel of David sitting in the getaway car, clutching Maine's severed cybernetic arm to his chest while staring blankly ahead, silent tears streaming down his numb face.
"End of Chapter."
As Akane finished reading those last few pages, she couldn't contain her excitement any longer. "Mr. Aoyama, are the earlier chapters of this story available here? I really, desperately want to read the whole thing..."
It was safe to say that Hayashi had happened to be drawing the single most emotionally impactful scene from the entire first half of 'Edgerunners.' Maine's vacant, haunted expression at the very end and David's silent, soul-crushing breakdown in the car possessed an incredible amount of raw narrative power and visual storytelling.
The sheer quality of the scene was practically on par with the iconic, agonizingly pained expressions featured in another masterpiece from his past life, 'Fire Punch.'
It gave anyone who looked at it an overwhelming, almost primal urge to read the entire manga from the very beginning.
However, hearing Akane's enthusiastic request, Hayashi merely scratched his head awkwardly. "I'm sorry... I only have the drafts from Chapter 7 through Chapter 23 here. Um, basically the section you just finished reading. Everything from Chapter 1 to Chapter 6 has already been officially submitted for serialization."
"Ah, so that means your work is officially being serialized in a manga magazine?! That's amazing! Which weekly publication is it appearing in?"
Akane's entire face positively lit up with a brilliant, joyful expression.
"It's being published by Manga World Publishers. I believe the magazine is called 'Manga World GoGo'?"
Hayashi answered. "Though, if I recall correctly, it isn't officially scheduled to begin its serialization run until sometime next month."
"Next month, huh... And what is the official title of the series?"
Akane felt a pang of disappointment at the long wait, but she was still eager to learn more.
"'Cyberpunk 2077: Edgerunners'."
Hayashi replied.
"Cyberpunk 2077? Does this story take place in the future then?"
Akane asked, her curiosity clearly reaching a fever pitch.
She was now officially obsessed with the world of 'Edgerunners.'
After all, that final scene she had just read, both in terms of its narrative structure, its visual composition, and its masterfully crafted dialogue, felt like it was written with a level of genius that was simply too good to ignore.
"Yes. The entire setting is built around a story taking place in the future year of 2077."
Hayashi confirmed.
"Then, what exactly does the word 'Cyberpunk' even mean?"
Akane pressed further.
Hayashi took a moment to organize his thoughts. He actually possessed a perfect, crystal-clear understanding of the term, thanks to his photographic memory.
"It's from the English term 'Cyberpunk'... I suppose that word doesn't actually exist in the common lexicon of this world yet. You can just consider it an entirely new term I invented by combining 'Cyber' and 'Punk'."
"Cyber refers to networks and computers, and Punk refers to the music genre, right?"
As a university student, Akane's working English vocabulary was actually quite impressive.
"More or less. But in this context, 'Punk' isn't primarily referring to the music genre itself. Instead, it refers to an underlying ideology that leans heavily toward individual liberation and a fiercely anti-mainstream, rebellious stance. As for 'Cyber,' it primarily stems from the word 'Cybernetics,' which essentially deals with control, governance, and the integration of man and machine."
Hayashi continued to explain, "The core concept of Cyberpunk revolves around a world defined by extreme technological advancement and absolute, unbridled corporate power. In such a world, individual human beings have effectively become insignificant, disposable creatures. Due to the explosive growth of high-tech industries, the clear-cut boundary between humans and machinery begins to entirely blur and eventually disappear. The development of advanced artificial intelligence leads to the birth of sentient androids, while constant, soul-crushing conflicts erupt between massive AI systems, shadow hackers, and the monolithic mega-corporations that control all of the world's wealth. The story's protagonist is an 'Edge-runner,' a marginalized individual who uses that very same high-tech equipment to escape the suffocating reach of collective consciousness and desperately fight for their own individual freedom..."
In his past life, Hayashi had actually spent a significant amount of time reading through encyclopedia entries for the Cyberpunk genre. Thanks to his photographic memory, he was able to clearly recall every single detail of those definitions and practically recited them to her verbatim on the spot.
"So in other words, it's basically a story about anti-utopianism and a fierce rebellion against runaway capitalism, right?"
Akane's eyes sparkled with realization as she processed his explanation.
"Well... yeah, I guess you could put it that way. But the core aesthetic is fundamentally defined by the concept of 'High Tech, Low Life'."
Hayashi added, scratching his head.
Wait a second... It seemed like the entire concept of "Cyberpunk" genuinely didn't exist in this parallel world. Did that mean he was about to accidentally become the definitive founding patriarch of the entire Cyberpunk genre in this timeline?
"That sounds incredible... and in this world, the protagonist is David, right? Is he really going to rise up and fight against those corporate bastards?"
Akane asked, her excitement practically palpable.
"Yeah, that's exactly how it goes."
Hayashi replied, figuring he wasn't technically lying.
"A story like that is bound to be absolutely spectacular! No wonder your work was accepted for serialization in a major magazine like Manga World!"
Akane gave him an enthusiastic thumbs-up.
"When next month rolls around, I'll definitely be looking for your work in the pages of Manga World. I promise I'll even head over to the official website and cast my vote for you!"
As a dedicated reader of Manga World, she already held a monthly subscription to 'Manga World GoGo.' The fact that Hayashi's 'Edgerunners' would be appearing in the very same magazine meant she would be able to follow the story perfectly.
Once the time came for the official reader popularity polls, she firmly intended to give her vote to 'Edgerunners.'
"Ah... haha, there's really no need for you to force yourself or anything."
Hayashi laughed sheepishly, not particularly bothered either way.
"Alright then... Mr. Aoyama... it's getting fairly late, so I really should be going now."
Akane suddenly remembered her original purpose. She had primarily only come here to familiarize herself with Hayashi's home address so she could easily swing by and visit Pochita in the future.
However, after seeing the 'Edgerunners' drafts Hayashi had left out on his desk and discovering his identity as a serialized mangaka, her uncontrollable curiosity had gotten the better of her. She had ended up chatting with Hayashi for quite a long time and had nearly forgotten that she absolutely had to head back now.
She reached out and gently stroked Pochita's adorable little head, clearly feeling a little reluctant to leave.
Pochita responded by playfully sticking out his tongue and licking her palm before barking twice, as if he were also feeling a little sad to see her go. "Woof! Woof!"
"Alright, have a safe trip back, Miss Akane."
Hayashi nodded as he saw her to the door.
"Okay... I'll come back to visit Pochita as soon as I have a break from my classes."
Akane said as she stepped out the door and officially took her leave.
(End of Chapter)
[Translated and Rewritten by Shika_Kagura]
T/N: Grandmaster / Patriarch (祖师爷) - A term used to refer to the founding father or the absolute highest authority in a specific field or lineage.
T/N: Old Capital (姑苏) - One of the ancient names for the city of Suzhou.
T/N: High Tech, Low Life - The definitive, core motto of the Cyberpunk genre.