T/N: If it's already being translated, let me know and I'll switch to another novel š Thanks!
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"Ahhh~!"
"So in the end I still chose to bail out with an outlineā¦ all the foreshadowing I planted, the characters I planned to introduce later, even those ideas I thought were amazingānone of them got the chance to be written. I guess it's also because I wrote too carelessly. Being able to maintain my current results and still end it badlyā¦ that's already not a bad outcome." Su Yang sighed softly at his computer screen. His hands resting on the keyboard typed out the final sentence of his novelā
The End.
"Click."
After uploading the chapter with a mouse click, it felt as if all the strength had been drained from his body. He slumped back into his office chair, staring blankly at the motionless desktop. Ending a novel that had accompanied him for a whole year in such a rushed wayāno writer would want thatābut he still chose not to continue.
It wasn't because of declining popularity, nor was it due to any personal issue.
It was because he couldn't see a single shining point in his own work.
Just like that classic line from the anime 'Bakuman'ā"As long as a manga is interesting, that's all that matters." And just like how Blizzard abandoned the major project 'Titan' and turned its scraps into 'Overwatch'.
Everything revolved around one wordā
Interesting.
And Su Yang could no longer find anything in his work that could be called interesting.
"Bang~!"
Clenching his right fist, Su Yang slammed it heavily onto the desk. The force made even the mouse jump violently. An inexplicable irritation and emptiness swept through him, making it hard to breathe and leaving him feeling lost. Even though he had already decided to end things badly, his ideas for the next novel felt pale and weak.
"Relax for a bit. Take some time to prepare, then start a new project. Haven't I always wanted to write that sci-fi story 'Future Hacker'? Looking at it another way, ending this early might not be such a bad thing."
Leaning lazily back in his chair, Su Yang stretched out his right hand and clicked aimlessly. His computer screen was filled with a chaotic mess of foldersāsomething that would drive anyone with OCD insane.
'Overwatch', 'April 2033 New Anime List', 'League of Legends', 'Dark Souls ā World Without Flame', 'Complete Guide to Manga Drawing Techniques', 'Huabiao's Writing Resources Collection', 'The Witcher 6', 'Best Anime Songs of the Year', '100 Must-Watch Movies in Life', 'MMD Beginner Tutorial', 'How to Make Anime'ā¦
These were all of Su Yang's current interests. As a hardcore otaku, his hobbies were surprisingly broadāanime, movies, novels, Japanese gal games, Western AAA titlesāyou name it. But most of them only lasted for about three minutes of enthusiasm. For example, he had downloaded 'Huabiao's Writing Resources Collection' and 'MMD Beginner Tutorial', yet never even opened them.
His D drive even had a nicknameā
"Garbage Mountain."
A massive 120TB SSD had been filled with all kinds of materials he had collected over the years due to his "interests." He had no idea how much stuff was inside to fill such a huge drive.
"Maybe I'll play a round of 'League of Legends'? ā¦Nah, running into kids will just make me more annoyed. Play a few matches, and tomorrow there'll probably be news about another young player collapsing at their computer."
"'Dark Souls'? Not in the mood to suffer right now. I finally saved up 200,000 souls yesterday, only to get blocked by some random mobs on the road. Shouldn't have been greedy for those extra hits."
"Guess I'll just browse the 'Bilibili' meme section and find some funny videos to relax."
Su Yang opened 'Bilibili' from his browser bookmarks, his gaze scanning downward across the screen for interesting video titles. By chance, he glanced out the window and noticed the streets were already pitch black. The darkness between the buildings carried a strange eeriness, as if something unseen could jump out at any moment.
"4:53."
"This late already?"
Su Yang froze for a moment. For normal people, it was long past bedtimeābut for someone like him, plagued by procrastination and laziness, this was just about the right time to sleep.
Back when 'Dark Souls ā World Without Flame' was first released, he had forcibly reset his biological clockā
From midnight to 2 AM,
2 AM to 4 AM,
4 AM to 7 AM,
7 AM to noon,
noon to 6 PMā
And somehow, miraculously, it looped back to 10 PM.
He had literally delayed his sleep cycle by a full day to fix it.
"Ahhh~!"
The moment Su Yang realized it was time to rest, drowsiness surged over him like a tide. He leaned back in his chair, yawned, let go of the mouse, and slowly closed his eyes.
āG-go to bedā¦? N-noā¦ too troublesomeā¦ I'll just sleep hereā¦
...
"Yuu~!?"
"Wake upā¦ pleaseā¦ don't leave me aloneā¦ I can't do anythingā¦ if I'm aloneā¦"
"I'm sorryā¦ I'm sorryā¦"
A faint, tearful voice drifted into his ears. Each word carried deep pleading, filling him with an inexplicable sadness and the urge to respond.
āWho's talkingā¦ Japaneseā¦ ahā¦ did I forget to turn off the computer? Is it animeā¦? Whateverā¦ I'll sleep a bit moreā¦
He barely opened his eyes a sliver before the bright white light made them sting. Overwhelmed by exhaustion, he ignored the crying voice and drifted into deeper sleep. Just before losing consciousness, he vaguely felt his right hand being tightly held by a pair of cold, soft hands.
...
WTF!?
Did I finally transmigrate?
No truck accident. No lightning strike.
Has falling asleep become the mainstream method now?
Su Yang looked around with a strange expression. The pungent smell of disinfectant and the pure white bedsheets told him exactly where he wasā
A hospital.
His 700-degree myopia seemed gone; even without glasses, his vision was clearer than ever. Combined with the subtle unfamiliarity of his body, it was obviousā
This body wasn't his.
"I transmigrated?"
"Andā¦ did I also get one of those bonus itemsālike a little sister?"
He sat up and looked beside the hospital bed. There, a silver-haired girl was sleeping with her head resting on the bedside. Her slightly furrowed brows gave off a fragile, glass-like vulnerability that stirred a hint of pity in him.
She was lying sideways, making it easy for him to admire her delicate features. Her facial proportions were flawless, and faint tear tracks ran from her nose down to her small face. Su Yang swore that skin as smooth as a boiled egg only existed in Photoshopāuntil now.
She wore a simple white Gothic-style dress, perfectly accentuating her doll-like beauty. Honestly, even online, he had never seen anyone who matched Gothic fashion this wellānot even heavily edited cosplay.
From the flood of memories in his mind, Su Yang clearly knewā
This girl was his little sisterā
KamiyÄ Sora.
A sentence suddenly popped into his mind:
"If you don't have a little sister, you wish Sora were one. If you do have one, you wish she weren't Sora."
The girl in front of him indeed resembled the female lead of the well-known imouto-themed anime 'Yosuga no Sora'āKasugano Soraāin many ways: hairstyle, temperament, interests, even clothing. The only thing that surprised him was that his current body was that of a black-haired, clean-looking young man.
"I should check the family registry laterā¦ she probably isn't my biological sister! Noāshe definitely isn't! And even if she isā¦ wasn't 'German orthopedics' invented for exactly this kind of situation?"
As Su Yang sorted through his memories, he quickly understood his current situation.
He had transmigrated into a parallel version of Japanābut its history was vastly different from his original world. More importantly, this wasn't a purely realistic parallel world.
Why?
Just his sister KamiyÄ Sora's silver hair was proof enough. Who in the real world naturally had snow-white hair? Yet on her, it didn't feel unnatural like cosplayāit felt perfectly fitting.
Combined with the original owner's memories, Su Yang concludedā
This world leaned more toward a two-dimensional (anime-like) reality.
"Wellā¦ that's not bad. At least I won't have to fight for survival in some xianxia world shouting 'Don't bully the young because they're poor.'"
"Being thrown into a proper Marvel universe or a Western fantasy setting would be even worse. If you're not the protagonist, you're cannon fodderāand in something like 'A Song of Ice and Fire', even protagonists can die anytime."
"A civilized society like this suits me better. Even without plot armor, I probably won't end up homeless."
"A little sister, a houseā¦ and both parents goneā¦"
Finding yet another shocking detail in his memories, Su Yang suddenly felt like he was steadily advancing down the road of becoming a life winner.