The next morning.
Before the morning class began, the students who had already arrived were chatting amongst themselves.
"By the way, have you guys heard about that romance novel that's blowing up on Instagram?" Shouta Tanaka asked a few classmates near him.
"You mean 'Your Name'?" Riko Suzuki chimed in.
"Whoa, you've seen it too? It's so good!" Ran Matsumoto added excitedly.
"So you've all heard of it... what do you think?" Shouta Tanaka asked.
"A pervert!"
"A beast! Scum!!"
Shouta Tanaka was baffled. "Huh??? I thought you said it was good?"
"It is! The book is amazing, but the author is terrible. He writes such a gripping story that gets you completely hooked, and then... right at the third chapter, at the most addictive part, he just stops posting!! Isn't that just torture?"
"Right, right, right! He's not even human! I remember it cuts off right at the line, 'But after that, we never swapped bodies again,' and then the chapter just ends. What kind of person does that???"
"Ah... so that's what you meant. Okay... yeah, I agree, that's pretty inhuman. I don't know where he learned to leave cliffhangers like that." Shouta Tanaka sighed. "I wonder when we'll get to read the whole thing."
"I heard he's going the traditional publishing route... who knows when a publisher will announce anything," Ran Matsumoto said helplessly, pulling out her phone to check for the latest news online.
Just then, Shouta Tanaka glanced towards the back of the room, at a handsome boy who had been keeping his head down, writing and doodling in a notebook.
"Fumiya, you've been out of school for days. Why are you so quiet now that you're back? Come on, chat with us," Shouta Tanaka said, trying to include him.
Fumiya had been contemplating two things.
First, how to efficiently test out which actions were considered 'in line with his professional characteristics' as described by his 'Unity of Knowledge and Action' trait.
Second, there seemed to be another player from the game at Shuchiin Academy. He needed to figure out how to find them, and what to do about them.
Both matters were quite important and rather complex, which was why he had been sketching out his thoughts in his notebook.
But now that he had been called out, he didn't want to seem too withdrawn or antisocial. After all, Shouta Tanaka was one of the few people in class who would talk to him.
Lifting his head, he looked at Tanaka. "Sure. What are you guys talking about?"
"'Your Name'! The novel that's been blowing up lately," Tanaka said enthusiastically. "Have you heard of it?"
"Oh, that. As it happens, I am familiar with it," Fumiya Jin said with a faint smile.
"Oh? Fumiya read it too?" The two girls in front turned around, looking at him curiously. "What did you think?"
"It's not bad. The story is brilliant and quite original. The author's writing style just isn't very consistent; some parts are a bit rough... but overall, it's pretty decent," Fumiya Jin offered as his evaluation.
Of course, when he mentioned the 'inconsistent writing style,' he wasn't referring to Makoto Shinkai's original work, but his own ghostwritten version.
Although he possessed Super Memory and could excavate nearly everything from his mind perfectly, he had been so excited when he read the book in his past life that he'd skimmed through some parts without paying close attention. As a result, he couldn't replicate it completely. The plot points in those sections were still correct, but they were written in his own style, which was definitely a notch below the original.
So, in a way, Fumiya Jin's comment was a form of self-deprecation.
"Huh?"
The trio—Tanaka, Suzuki, and Matsumoto—froze. The way they looked at Fumiya Jin gradually turned strange.
"What's wrong?" Fumiya Jin asked.
"No... Fumiya, are you seriously critiquing it?" Tanaka said with a wry smile.
"Weren't you all just evaluating it too?" Fumiya Jin replied.
"We were all cursing the author, but everyone agrees the book itself is a god-tier masterpiece. Lots of famous authors have come out online saying how great it is." Riko Suzuki looked at Fumiya Jin with surprise. "And you're saying his writing is rough... are you serious?"
"Exactly! Fumiya-kun, the way you were just critiquing it so seriously was a little... clownish, you know!" Ran Matsumoto teased with a hint of mockery before going back to her phone.
Fumiya Jin: "..."
"Hey! There's actually new info!" After a few scrolls, Ran Matsumoto suddenly let out a cry of surprise. "An official account under Kadokawa just announced that they've already signed a contract for 'Your Name'! The publishing process is almost done, and pre-orders are starting soon. And... there's info on the author?"
"For real?"
"Let me see, let me see!"
Tanaka and Suzuki quickly leaned over to look together.
At that moment, however, Fumiya Jin felt a pang of foreboding.
When he had signed with the publisher, he didn't know about the existence of the Samsara Game in this world; he thought it was just an ordinary, peaceful world. So, when the publisher suggested that 'not using a pen name, revealing some personal information, and marketing with the gimmick of a handsome high school novelist could greatly boost sales,' he hadn't refused.
But looking at it now...
"Huh? 'Mr. Fumiya'? This author's last name is Fumiya too..."
"It should have the full name later... Fumiya... Jin? Huh? What a coincidence. Same name as Fumiya-kun."
"No, wait! Look what it says after... the author is a handsome high school student currently attending the prestigious Shuchi... our school???"
As they reached this point, all three of them suddenly shuddered, realizing a terrifying possibility.
Then, like marionettes pulled by the same string, they slowly, mechanically, and in perfect unison, raised their heads. Their eyes, wide as if they had seen a ghost, locked onto Fumiya Jin.
"Fumiya..."
"It can't be, right?"
"This... it couldn't be talking about you, could it?"
Fumiya Jin actually felt quite helpless.
After becoming a participant in the Samsara Game, he definitely wanted to keep a low profile. But with this much information already out, trying to hide it would just be pointless coyness.
"Alright, it's me," Fumiya Jin said, holding up his hands. "I just wrote it for fun. I didn't expect anyone to take notice, so I published it to make a little extra cash."
"HUH?????"
The jaws of the trio nearly hit the floor. The sound they made was so loud that it drew the attention of nearly everyone in the classroom.
And just then, a series of sounds echoed in Fumiya Jin's mind...
['Unity of Knowledge and Action' trait triggered.]
[Free-Flowing Sharpness +1]
[+1]
[+1]
[+1]
[+1]
...
At the same time, a progress bar appeared in his mind's eye. It had a black background and a gray bar. As the '+1' notifications kept popping up, the progress bar slowly grew, reaching about a quarter of its full length.
_____
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