After hanging up the phone, Yukinoshita Shizuku, who was standing aside, asked curiously, "What happened?"
"Oh, Kobayashi-san said that 'Cheesecake' was posted on the internet, got reposted by Yahoo, and then reported by other print media. As a result, Shincho has sold out."
Tsushima Kagami repeated what Kobayashi Tomoaki had told him.
"Then aren't you about to become a big author, Kagami?"
Yukinoshita Shizuku grabbed the corner of Tsushima Kagami's clothes with a hint of excitement.
"How is that possible? It's just a short story. Besides, internet heat will pass immediately. I'm going to wash up first."
Once Tsushima Kagami arrived in the bathroom and rinsed himself off thoroughly, he dried himself directly, as he didn't have a habit of soaking in the tub. He changed into his pajamas and walked to the mirror at the sink.
He opened the panel again to look at the Pure Love Points inside.
He remembered the original 2 points; one point likely came from when Kobayashi-san first called to arrange the publication payment, and the second point appeared when he was dragged out of bed by Yukinoshita Shizuku this morning.
Adding in what the store clerk who asked for an autograph said today, it was estimated that this clerk contributed significantly.
I'll have to ask later if he was the one who promoted me online.
Tsushima Kagami immediately looked at the Prize Pool Gacha Mall that had newly appeared in his mind.
He took a rough look at the rules: 65 points for a single draw, 648 for a ten-pull, and it even included a minimum guarantee of at least one item.
I wonder what good stuff is in there.
Hmph, isn't it a mere 648? Come out for me!
2000+ Pure Love Points instantly vanished by 648 points.
Accompanied by powerful music and flash effects capable of inducing photosensitive epilepsy, the prize pool surged. Suddenly, nine blues and one gold lined up in a row.
[Thank you for your patronage]
[Thank you for your patronage]
[Thank you for your patronage]
[...]
[Thank you for your patronage]
[Energy Potion (Small)]
Don't panic. It's just a mere 648; it doesn't represent anything. This is just a tactical probe. Do you understand what a 'cushioning tactic' is?
Watch me pull a miracle with a single draw!
[Thank you for your patronage]
Tsushima Kagami held his head high.
[Thank you for your patronage]
Tsushima Kagami wore a smile on his face.
[Thank you for your patronage]
Tsushima Kagami felt slightly nervous.
[Thank you for your patronage]
Tsushima Kagami wiped away non-existent sweat from his forehead.
[...]
Accompanied by Tsushima Kagami's increasingly ferocious expression, the Pure Love Points evaporated rapidly.
Until only the last 300 points remained.
Tsushima Kagami felt as if all his strength had been drained. He lay prone on the ground incompetently, supporting himself with both hands, feeling as though he could barely breathe.
The "Dun-dun-dun-dun, dun-dun-dun-dun~" of the first movement of Beethoven's Symphony of Fate faintly circled in his mind.
It turns out that nine blues and one gold wasn't my limit, but the limit of the ten-pull mechanic itself.
Looking at the mere 300 Pure Love Points remaining, Tsushima Kagami fell into an internal struggle.
If I had just honestly done ten-pulls from the start, it would have been fine. At least I would have had Energy Potions, right?
So who gave me this confidence?
Why...
Why did it turn out like this?
I finally possessed a system I liked.
I even obtained Pure Love Points that could be used for gacha.
Two joys combined together.
It should have brought even more joy.
But...
Why did it turn out like this?
Tell me why?
Why?
At this moment, there was a knock on the bathroom door.
"Kagami, what are you doing? Why do I hear you making weird noises continuously?"
Yukinoshita Shizuku's tone held a mix of confusion and worry.
Tsushima Kagami stood up from the ground and said to the door, "Ah, it's nothing. I'll be out right away."
After Yukinoshita Shizuku left, Tsushima Kagami looked at the panel in his mind again and added the final 300 Pure Love Points to his Constitution.
[Constitution: 47] —— [Constitution: 50]
Tsushima Kagami instantly felt a wave of comfort wash over his body; his health level had obviously risen a step.
He went to the mirror at the washbasin and looked at himself.
He didn't look as sickly as before.
He examined himself carefully again. Although his current self had a handsome model, it was still quite inferior to his top-tier model self from before the transmigration.
However, looking closely today, he felt it somewhat resembled his original self.
Eh? Was this mole here before?
He only just noticed that there was a small mole on the lower right side of his neck. This was a mole he had on his body before crossing over.
The location, shape, and size were exactly the same.
He couldn't remember if it was there before or not, so he decided not to overthink it.
When Tsushima Kagami finally came out of the bathroom, Yukinoshita Shizuku, who was preparing to take her shower, suddenly stopped and looked at him.
"What is it?"
"Nothing, I just feel you're a bit different."
Yukinoshita Shizuku pondered for a moment, thinking for a long time but failing to find the precise wording.
"Have you become a bit more sturdy?"
Tsushima Kagami struck a Popeye pose.
"You definitely don't look as much like a medicine jar as before."
After saying this, Yukinoshita Shizuku paid no further attention to Tsushima Kagami and went to take her shower.
The next day, inside the Manga Research Club.
As soon as Tsushima Kagami entered the club room, he saw Sawamura Sayuri already sitting there, earnestly drawing the backgrounds for the upcoming manuscript.
Just as he sat down after greeting Sayuri, Machida Sonoko and Kosaka Akane also walked in.
"Look what I bought!"
Both Tsushima Kagami and Sayuri looked up at Machida Sonoko, who spoke.
They saw her triumphantly holding a copy of the monthly Shincho magazine.
"Sonoko-senpai, didn't you say you wanted to write light novels? Why are you switching careers to study pure literature?"
Tsushima Kagami teased with a smile.
"That's not it at all. Kouhai, do you know how hard it was to buy this issue of Shincho? I had to camp out early in the morning and barely managed to snatch one from the long line."
"I heard it's because the novel 'Cheesecake' inside sold out directly yesterday, so Sonoko went to join the fun too,"
Kosaka Akane added with a smile.
Then, Machida Sonoko opened her school bag, took out three more copies, and distributed one each to Kosaka Akane, Sayuri, and Tsushima Kagami.
"Senpai, I feel like you're acting as a scalper. It's already sold out, yet you still grabbed so many copies today."
"Wasn't it just so you guys could have a copy in hand too?"
Tsushima Kagami flipped through the magazine and asked, "So, does Senpai know why it sold out?"
After all, the author appeared to be just a rookie writer with a blank slate, and Shinchosha hadn't given him any promotional resources.
Machida Sonoko placed her hands on her hips and said proudly, "Kouhai, you asked the right person. According to an editor friend of mine in the newspaper industry..."
"Apparently, there was an unemployed netizen who shared his daily experiences on a forum every night. Over time, it attracted the sympathy of many people."
"Until the night before last, when this netizen shared that after inadvertently reading this story, 'Cheesecake', it made him pull himself together again. Regaining his confidence, he not only found a job at a bookstore but also praised 'Cheesecake' for saving his life and his marriage."
"Then, because the post's heat and replies were super high, it was eventually reposted by Yahoo and reported by print media. Everyone joined the excitement and bought this issue of Shincho to take a look."
"I see."
Tsushima Kagami finally understood.
Because there was already a sharing thread with a certain amount of popularity, this event served a fierce bowl of chicken soup for the soul to many unemployed netizens and others with similar experiences or those just watching the drama.
After all, being the first generation of netizens, everyone was still relatively friendly.
Tsushima Kagami felt that the life story of the store clerk who generated this heat for him was the one that deserved to be published and sell big.
He felt guilty accepting this popularity.
"By the way, Kouhai, aren't you also writing pure literature? How is it going?"
Machida Sonoko suddenly asked. Kosaka Akane and Sawamura Sayuri also looked at him.
Tsushima Kagami flipped the magazine to the page of "Cheesecake," then spread it out on the table and pointed at it with his finger.
Under the trio's incredulous gazes, he explained the situation.
The three of them held the magazines in both hands, as if making an offering to gods or buddhas, and bowed in worship toward him.
The three of them bowed in unison and said: "YOU!"
____
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