["Rem, Rem, Rem, Rem, Rem, Rem, Rem-sama???? Prprprprprpr, please! Please let me be Rem-sama's dog!"]
["The guy is in heat... no, he's having an episode, isn't he? Although Rem has been very reliable in these few volumes, and the maid is indeed a charming point, it shouldn't be to this extent, right?"]
["Spring has arrived, and animal instincts have awakened!"]
["To be honest, so far, Rem is my favorite. When the protagonist was at his most dejected, it was always Rem who gave him hope. I've completely forgotten what happened in a certain previous loop~"]
["But this volume makes me really dislike Natsuki Subaru; he's way too arrogant! This world doesn't revolve around him alone."]
["Well, this is all necessary for the plot development, no need to say more. I'm curious, though, if Puck is so powerful, can he really destroy the world? It shouldn't be possible, right? After all, Reinhard, the true Child of the Plane, is there. Puck probably can't defeat him, can he?"]
["Damn it, the story stopped just as the suspense was building. This feeling of being cut off is still... I experienced it last time."]
["The White Whale seems pretty powerful, it even killed the previous Sword Saint. I wonder if Puck can defeat it?"]
["I suggest Emilia quickly give up her position as the heroine and stop sitting there doing nothing! Rem is the best in the world! Rem is the one the male lead needs!"]
["That's enough, Rem faction. It's not Emilia's time to shine yet, don't you understand the value of a heroine? A supporting character wants to ride on the heroine's head, beware of backlash!"]
["You can even have factional disputes over this? Have you all gone mad!?"]
["Alright, alright, this volume is finished too. Let's go watch Madoka instead."]
...
The fifth volume of "Re:zero - Starting Life In Another World" didn't have many explosive points; it was mainly a stage for plot development. Useful information was quickly grasped by everyone, and what excited everyone the most was the confrontation between factions.
Emilia herself didn't have much screen time in the plot, and compared to Rem, she was even more overshadowed. So, many people were already preparing to remove Emilia from her heroine status, clamoring for Rem to take over.
Regarding this, Izumi Chihiro's evaluation was:
"It's not impossible, but the main story content is already set, so let's wait for the If story arcs later."
The If story arcs are considered some of the most essential parts of the original work. The stories of other routes only appear more precious in certain places when compared to the main story content.
However, he didn't plan to write all of the If stories himself. Instead, he intended to complete them through a 'writing contest' when the appropriate opportunity arose in the future.
After all, "Re:zero - Starting Life In Another World" is a long-form light novel. Even if he had greatly accelerated his writing speed, it would still take a considerable amount of time to finish. If he were to add the If story arcs, his entire high school life would be spent revolving around the world of "Re:zero - Starting Life In Another World."
Clearly, this did not quite align with the thoughts of some unseen will.
Therefore, his approach was entirely reasonable.
The comment section related to the "Re:zero - Starting Life In Another World" novel did not remain noisy for too long, because such a plot was certainly overshadowed by the nearing conclusion of the Madoka anime.
With only one episode left to air, the popularity accumulated by the Madoka anime was already very high, and the increase in viewership was quite evident.
But for Izumi Chihiro himself, the increase in novel sales was the most crucial.
After all, no matter how well the anime performed, his income was only from the initial copyright fees; other matters had little to do with him.
Higher income meant higher average sales per volume and higher overall sales, widening the gap between him and others, and bringing him closer to the two above.
"All things considered, in these nearly three years, sales have already exceeded six million. If we factor in Madoka's current popularity and the release of new volumes of 'Re:zero - Starting Life In Another World', sales within three years might exceed seven million..."
Izumi Chihiro estimated carefully, then felt a bit disheartened.
The achievement of over ten million total sales was already a foreseeable future for him, but trying to achieve it within three years was still a bit too difficult.
This was simply not something a normal person could accomplish!
He had already worked so hard!
But there was no helping it. For ordinary people, and even those with a certain talent, that was a forbidden realm. That's why no light novel author had reached that level in decades, until Senju Muramasa and Kani Nayuta burst onto the scene in the last two or three years, turning the 'impossible' into reality.
It was quite clear that his talent was limited. No matter how much he transformed and improved, he still couldn't reach that monstrous level.
"It seems I won't be able to reach that level by relying solely on writing ability."
Izumi Chihiro sighed deeply.
Even so, this did not mean he couldn't achieve this ultimate life accomplishment.
Because the accumulation of quantity was also a skill. If his works were successfully adapted into anime again, and his fame surged once more, he could advance through another path.
Of course, by then, it would depend on whether fate was on his side.
This was the only remaining path for a 'fool' with a lucky reincarnation to pursue.
...
Saturday evening.
"Chihiro, Sagiri, let's sit down and talk after dinner later."
As soon as he sat down, he looked up and saw his father's serious expression, and couldn't help but feel a sense of doubt.
Sagiri turned and met his gaze, equally at a loss.
With that expression, had something big happened?
After they put their bowls and chopsticks in the kitchen, they sat back down in their original seats.
"I apologize for saying this only now, but actually, in a week, due to work, I'm going on a business trip abroad. It might take a long time, and also..."
Izumi Kotetsu spoke with a grave look.
"Kasan and I are going together, so all the household affairs will be entrusted to you then, Chihiro."
"Also, I'm entrusting Sagiri to your care."
Mrs. Izumi chimed in.
"Eh...?"
Both siblings were dumbfounded.
This news was quite sudden.
"It's okay, Chihiro, your cooking skills are good enough. It'll just be a little harder for you. If it's really too much, you can hire a nanny, or I can ask Kyoka Aunt to come over and take care of you all."
Before leaving, Mrs. Izumi had already thought of a proper arrangement.
'It's already planned, so it seems they've made up their minds to go. Perhaps this business trip is very important and will affect Father's promotion…'
Izumi Chihiro's mind flashed with this thought.
"A nanny is out of the question. As for Kyoka Aunt, she's always busy with work, so I won't bother her. From now on, I'll take on the responsibility of being a big brother and take good care of Sagiri."
After he reacted, he had already clarified the current situation, so he didn't act like a child and demand that they stay. Instead, he handled it very maturely.
---
💯 PS = 2 bonus chapter