[Flare seemed to misunderstand and showed a relieved expression. This girl is really dumb.]

[I walked toward the fireplace in the room, then melted the tool used to add firewood, shaping it into a rod.]

[After heating it thoroughly, I brought it close to the carpet. A sizzling sound followed as it began to burn.]

Kotomi let out a small sigh as she reached this point, her petite hands finally leaving the keyboard to stretch her wrists. It had been an hour and a half since she opened the Word document, and she had been typing nonstop. Her dedication paid off handsomely.

What began as a plan to write a few chapters had already brought her to the famous scene in Volume 1 of Redo of Healer where the protagonist, Keyaru, exacts revenge on Flare and “transforms” into the Spear Hero.

“I blinked, and I’ve already written over half of Volume 1. Looks like my writing level-up also came with a serious speed boost. At this rate, I might even finish the whole volume today,” she muttered.

She scrolled through her work from the top, reading the lines she had just written. Seeing her own progress brought a smile to her lips and a satisfied nod.

At this pace, she would definitely complete the manuscript for Redo of Healer Volume 1 before the end of the month.

But there was a catch—no one else knew how fast she could write. If she submitted a complete manuscript this quickly, people might start questioning the quality.

After some thought, Kotomi decided not to send it to Haruno just yet. Even if she submitted it next month, she’d wait until mid-month to do so.

Otherwise, if she kept turning in huge chunks of writing every month, the editorial team might start to suspect she was running a ghostwriting operation—that she only provided the outline and let others write the content.

Light novel publishers strictly cracked down on such things.

If the writing was subpar and the author’s name was tarnished, they could just change pen names and start over. But if it damaged the publisher’s reputation, that was a nightmare for the editorial team.

No publisher wanted their brand to become synonymous with ghostwriting scandals.

So, whenever a publisher found out a contracted author was using ghostwriters or running a manuscript “studio,” regardless of sales, they would immediately suspend all updates, freeze income, and cancel any planned adaptations.

Kotomi definitely didn’t want to face those consequences, especially when she hadn’t done anything wrong. So, she decided to delay submission slightly, to make her writing speed look less suspicious.

After saving her document, she glanced out the window at the scenery flying by. The shinkansen had fully exited Tokyo.

They were expected to arrive in Kyoto in another hour.

Much earlier than she anticipated.

Then again, that was probably thanks to their early departure.

Kotomi sent a quick message to her parents and Aimi, letting them know she was almost in Kyoto.

She also took a photo of her laptop on the little tray table and sent it to Haruno Yukinoshita, to show that even while traveling in Kyoto, she was still diligently working on her manuscript.

[Redo of Healer Volume 1 manuscript, in the middle of glorious creation~]

She followed the image with a short message.

Kotomi then opened a new blank document, snapped another photo, and uploaded it to her Twitter.

[Even on the shinkansen, I haven’t stopped creating. Currently brainstorming new plotlines for Sword Art Online! Good morning!]

Then, she dropped the reveal:

[Sword Art Online Volume 1 is being reprinted! It’ll be back on shelves very soon~]

As soon as the tweet went up, the replies came flooding in.

Kotomi’s Twitter was currently one of the hottest among active authors. Anything she posted would easily rake in thousands of comments and tens of thousands of retweets.

Until recently, no matter what she posted, her replies were mostly just readers demanding updates.

Now, the tone had shifted completely:

“The great Izumi Ki-sensei is crafting another immortal masterpiece.”

“The genius artist Itsuki Izumi is using her divine hands to pen a new epic for Sword Art Online!”

“God’s favored child, blessed by the goddess of literature, Izumi-sensei descends once more upon her loyal readers with a new volume.”

“Dad! Please update already!”

“You have milk, so you’re mom now! Mom, please update! The end of Volume 1 left me dying for more! When can we get a preview of Volume 2?!”

“Please, can Chainsaw Man get an update too?! When’s the next volume?!”

“I want to see lewd pics of Asuna.”

“I want lewds of Kirito.”

“Dude above is sus. Nanami, you live above me?!”

Kotomi nodded in satisfaction after skimming the comments. Cliffhangers really were a beautiful thing~ She made a mental note to use that tactic often going forward.

Mashiro, who had been pretending to sleep this whole time, shifted slightly and sat up, then leaned on Kotomi’s shoulder again.

“Mashiro, you’re awake? Did you sleep well?” Kotomi asked, setting her phone down.

“It was fine. At least I’m not sleepy anymore.” Mashiro glanced at the laptop on the table. “Were you writing a novel just now?”

“Yup. The scariest thing for a writer is a pushy editor. Even though Volume 1 of Sword Art Online just hit the shelves, I can’t slack off during the new release phase. Gotta strike while the iron’s hot and keep the story going.”

Kotomi had never hidden the fact that she also wrote novels. It wasn’t about giving Mashiro special treatment—it was just that Mashiro already knew Kotomi’s manga pen name was Izumi Ki. One quick search would reveal that Izumi Ki also wrote light novels.

So instead of hiding it, Kotomi had just come clean.

Mashiro had known for a while now, and she had respectfully kept the secret.

“A new volume of Sword Art Online?”

“No, a new series.”

Mashiro’s eyes lit up with curiosity. “Can I take a look?”

Kotomi thought about the content of Redo of Healer for a second and shook her head firmly. “Not yet. It’s still just a rough draft. A lot of the details need polishing. I don’t feel comfortable showing anyone something that raw.”

In truth, the content was… a bit much. If Mashiro sat next to her reading it, Kotomi would probably be so mortified she’d want to jump out the train window.

As they continued chatting about manga and novels, the shinkansen began to slow down. Kotomi turned to look out the window.

The scenery had changed.

In the distance, the city appeared.

They had arrived in Kyoto.

As one of the core cities in the Osaka Metropolitan Area, Kyoto is, without exaggeration, considered the spiritual home of the Japanese people. It’s the origin point of Japanese culture and a symbol of traditional Japan.

Unlike Tokyo, which is defined by commercial prosperity, Kyoto leaves a first impression of refined Japanese aesthetics. Simply hearing the name Kyoto evokes images of shrines, temples, gardens, paintings, and other historical architecture and traditional cultural events.

Being the spiritual hometown of Japan, it’s no wonder that so many high schools choose Kyoto as the destination for their school trips.

Of course, the relatively cheaper domestic travel expenses are also a factor. Few high schools would be like Sobu High School—willing to allocate part of their budget, two years later, for Kotomi Izumi’s class to travel abroad for their senior-year school trip.

It was confirmed they would be going overseas, but the exact country hadn’t been decided yet.

That said, even Sobu High School had always chosen domestic destinations in the past. Kotomi’s year just happened to be lucky enough to catch what might be the school’s first—and potentially last—international school trip since its founding.

Anyone who’s traveled abroad knows: even before you reach your destination, just handling the plane tickets, passport, and paperwork can be exhausting—let alone the costs and logistics of food, lodging, and transit after arrival.

Since this was being organized by the school, students didn’t have to worry much. But that only shifted the burden onto the teachers…

Most likely, after handling this international trip in senior year, the school would learn from the headache and return to domestic travel from then on.

Let the teachers deal with the trouble. Kotomi just wanted to quietly look forward to starting her third year.

Ideally, she’d start senior year tomorrow and go abroad the day after!

When the train’s onboard announcement signaled their arrival, Hibiki Naegi, who had been napping in the front row, opened her eyes in a daze and rubbed them gently.

Ever since the train left Tokyo Station, she hadn’t had the energy to appreciate the differences between Green Car and regular cars, nor to enjoy the scenery out the window. She had simply asked a staff member for a blanket and fallen fast asleep.

She slept all the way until now.

If it weren’t for that broadcast, she might’ve kept sleeping.

She folded up the blanket and gave a big stretch. After nearly two hours of sleep, she felt much more refreshed—though her waist still felt a little sore. When she bent over earlier, she almost thought she’d pulled something.

Standing up slowly, she made her way toward Kotomi and Mashiro’s seats. They were about to arrive in Kyoto for the first round of the art exhibition.

Given the talent and skill of those two, it made more sense for her to worry about whether she would make it to round two than to worry about them.

Still, she was the art club president!

As they were about to arrive in Kyoto, it was her responsibility to say a few words to her fellow members.

Hibiki’s seat had been in the front row, while Kotomi and Mashiro were seated further back.

“Kotomi, Mashiro, we’ll be arriving in Kyoto soon. There are a few things I wanted to go over with you.”

“After arriving at Kyoto Station, a teacher should be there to meet us and take us to the hotel. Once we receive our room keys, don’t rush off to your rooms just yet—we have to wait in the lobby for a speech from the judging professors.”

“After the speech, we can go to our rooms and drop off our luggage. For the next three days, aside from daily roll call an hour before dinner, the rest of the time is completely free. You can visit art galleries or explore Kyoto’s sights.”

After hearing Hibiki’s explanation, Kotomi asked curiously, attending the National Art Exhibition for the first time, “So most of the three days are free time? That sounds so chill—like a fully-funded vacation.”

“That’s actually a pretty accurate description,” Hibiki chuckled. “For those selected as potential future stars of Japan’s art world, the University of Tokyo and Kyoto University are happy to be generous.”

“If they also covered meals, that would be perfect~” Kotomi added with a playful grin.

Hibiki paused, then, remembering Kotomi’s appetite, gave a wry smile. “If they had to cover your food expenses for three days… I’m afraid next year’s participants wouldn’t even get travel or lodging covered.”

Kotomi got the implication and shrank her neck slightly, half-defensively muttering, “I don’t eat that much, do I?”

“If I hadn’t seen you eating burgers at the train station this morning, maybe I wouldn’t have said anything,” Hibiki replied teasingly. Kotomi’s breakfast intake had really left an impression.

The three of them dragged their suitcases along, with Kotomi carrying an extra backpack containing her laptop, the baseball jacket, and folding umbrella that Aimi had packed for her.

Kyoto had just experienced a bout of rain yesterday, and the drop in temperature was obvious. The gray sky made the chill even sharper. Fortunately, Kotomi had the foresight to put on her baseball jacket before getting off the train.

Mashiro naturally slipped her hand into the pocket of Kotomi’s jacket. The two exchanged a quiet smile.

They often did this at school too—whenever Mashiro felt cold, she would tuck her hand into Kotomi’s pocket, and Kotomi would hold it, like a walking heater. A comforting presence in cold weather.

Back at school, it was usually Yui who slipped her hand into Kotomi’s left pocket, while Mashiro claimed the right. The three of them walking like that had created all sorts of twisted rumors.

And those rumors had… evolved quite a bit over time. To levels that Kotomi didn’t even want to talk about.

Hibiki turned around, just about to tell them to hurry up and not fall behind—only to be hit square in the face by the image of the two looking like they were sharing a couple moment. It was an unexpected dose of PDA that stung her lovesick heart, which had been longing for Seiko.

“Thank goodness they’re not actually a couple… or that would’ve been a critical hit.”

Even if they were, Hibiki couldn’t help but envy them. She didn’t even have the courage to show affection with Seiko in public.

Even if they ended up together someday, would they ever be able to receive public blessings?

The thought added another tinge of bitterness to her smile.

Soon after, she spotted a middle-aged woman in the crowd ahead, holding a sign that said “Sobu High School.”

“That must be the teacher here to pick us up. Let’s go.”

“Okay!” Kotomi responded energetically, squeezing Mashiro’s hand as they followed Hibiki toward the teacher.

“Hello, I’m Hibiki Naegi, the president of Sobu High School’s art club. These two are Kotomi Izumi and Mashiro Shiina.”

She introduced them politely after approaching the middle-aged woman, who might be a professor from Kyoto University. Hibiki had always dreamed of entering Kyoto University’s art department, and now that she was actually in Kyoto, she felt a little nervous.

She carefully maintained her tone and expression, doing her best not to make a bad impression.

The middle-aged woman gave her only a brief glance and a perfunctory “Hello” before her eyes lit up as she looked at Kotomi and Mashiro behind Hibiki. She stared at them with the intensity of someone who had just discovered buried treasure, a grin slowly forming on her lips like a pirate finding gold.

“A world-class genius artist, and…”

“Someone who, despite no prior presence in art competitions, burst forth like bamboo shoots after rain, overtaking countless ordinary works and moving veteran art professors to tears with her debut. She’s already on the radar of top universities and Tokyo’s elite art schools…”

“Welcome to Kyoto, Kotomi Izumi. I’m honored to meet the two of you. I personally requested to come and pick you up.”

“Allow me to introduce myself—I’m Eiren Kanagawa, professor at Kyoto University’s Faculty of Fine Arts.”

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Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep