At the agreed time, Ye and Ayaka met at Kiminami Restaurant.
Then, they walked together to Yae Publishing House.
"The fact that Mr. Lumine released the second volumes of both light novels at the same time is such a pleasant surprise. I still feel like I'm dreaming."
"Indeed. I just hope the content is as substantial as the first volume."
"That's probably not possible. The first volume was already equivalent to three volumes of other light novels. The second volume should return to a normal length."
"Regardless, having something to read is already a blessing."
As they stood in line, the people around them were buzzing with excitement.
Ayaka, too, was quietly excited and whispered to Ye, "What do you think? Will the second volume have as much content as the first?"
"It probably will."
Ye replied nonchalantly.
Of course, it would.
For Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?, the second volume would cover Bell's journey to Level 3, which could have been split into two volumes or even left as one—but for Re:Zero , it had to be three volumes in one.
After all, the first volume had already covered the mansion arc. The second volume would delve into the royal capital arc, and if the part where Rem's true love was revealed wasn't included, it would be unbearably frustrating and painful for readers.
The level of suffering the protagonist endured was truly rare.
Ye, being a kind-hearted person, couldn't bear to see readers suffer so much, so he kindly combined three volumes into one.
After reading the second volume, Yae Miko had gritted her teeth and thanked him for his "kindness and gentleness."
"I wonder what the story will be like..."
"It'll definitely be a moving one."
Ye could only say this in response to Ayaka's anticipation.
After all, he wasn't wrong.
It's just that the process might leave readers breathless.
"Ayaka, since you love reading light novels so much, have you ever thought about writing one yourself?"
"Eh? Me? I couldn't do that."
"Why not? How can you say you can't without even trying?"
"I've never written before. I don't have the skill... and I have other responsibilities."
"I can teach you how to write light novels. As for your other responsibilities... sometimes when you hit a dead end and don't know how to solve a problem, it's good to shift your focus, find something else to do, and wait patiently for the right opportunity. That's also a way to handle things."
Ayaka's eyebrows twitched slightly. "Do you know what I'm trying to do?"
"No, but I can tell you're at a loss. Since you're stuck, it's better to wait patiently, find something to pass the time, and wait for a solution to present itself—don't you think that's a good approach?"
"...No, you're right."
Ayaka smiled bitterly.
Thinking about it, wasn't she buying light novels to distract herself?
"But I really don't have the talent to write light novels."
"I can teach you. I'm quite confident in that."
Ayaka blinked as she looked at him. Was this... an attempt to flirt with her?
But didn't he already have a fiancée?
So it must be her imagination.
It wouldn't do to be too self-absorbed.
"Ah, it's our turn."
Seeing that they had finally reached the front of the line, Ayaka quickly changed the subject.
Ye didn't press further and stepped forward to buy the light novels.
"Why are you buying three copies of each?"
Ayaka looked at Ye in surprise.
Ye replied matter-of-factly, "One for collection, one for personal use, and one for spreading the word. When buying light novels, this is common knowledge."
"Eh? Is that so?"
Ayaka hesitated for a moment, then decided there was some logic to it and bought two more copies of each.
Ye nodded in satisfaction. Good, four more copies sold.
No, not just four. Ye's words hadn't just reached Ayaka—the people behind them had also overheard and began whispering among themselves.
"Did you hear that?"
"Yeah, I did. So there's so much to consider when buying light novels? I had no idea."
"There's really a lot to learn."
"I've decided. I'll buy one for collection and one for spreading the word."
"Spreading the word means recommending it to others, right? That makes sense. Such a good light novel should be shared with more people! Okay, I'll buy two copies too—one for collection and one for spreading."
Oh ho ho, not bad. It seemed the sales would reach new heights.
Even though Inazuma's economy was in a slump, people still had enough to spare for a few light novels.
But the impact was still noticeable.
No, for the sake of my light novel sales and my pocket money, the isolation policy in Inazuma must be resolved.
With that decision made, Ye and Ayaka went to Komore Teahouse, entered a private room, and began their leisurely afternoon of tea and reading.
At first, they read Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?. While there were moments of despair, tension, and pressure, overall, Ayaka enjoyed it.
But when they started reading Re:Zero a few hours later—Ayaka finally put on her "pain mask."
"This... this..."
Ayaka wanted to say something, but she didn't know what to say.
From Subaru's perspective, what kind of hopeless situation was this?
She couldn't understand how that old fox Lumine could write something like this. Was there something wrong with his brain?
Ayaka didn't look down on Subaru because of this volume's plot. After reading the first volume, she had already realized that Subaru was just an ordinary person.
He wasn't particularly smart, he wasn't strong, and he wasn't mentally resilient. Aside from his "Return by Death" ability and a bit of reckless courage, he wasn't good at anything. He was just an average, ordinary person.
That's why, compared to Subaru, Ayaka preferred Bell.
She genuinely felt that Subaru had no redeeming qualities. Without "Return by Death," he wouldn't even qualify as a protagonist. He lacked the traits a main character should have.
If he were just a side character, that would be one thing. The other characters in the story might see Subaru as remarkable, but from the reader's perspective, it was clear just how ordinary he was.
He wasn't useless, but by the standards of a protagonist, he really was.
Of course, that said, Ayaka didn't look down on Subaru. In fact, she quite liked stories where an ordinary protagonist clumsily struggled to save the heroine. It was uniquely appealing compared to other light novels.
—But precisely because of that, when the author so blatantly exposed all of Subaru's flaws as an ordinary person in this second volume, Ayaka's emotions were deeply affected.
His lack of manners, his overestimation of his own abilities, his arrogance in thinking that everything he did was for the heroine and that she should understand him, his inability to see through others' schemes, his superficiality being laid bare for all to see... All these flaws of an ordinary person made Ayaka, as a reader, feel like she was suffocating.
Shouldn't the author use high points in the story to cover up the protagonist's flaws? Like in the first volume? Why would he so blatantly expose the protagonist's wounds and deliberately add these dark moments to his history?
The protagonist's reputation had already hit rock bottom. How could the story continue like this?
—That said, Ayaka was still hooked.
The more she read, the more she wanted to keep going. She felt an overwhelming urge to finish this part of the story without stopping.
Ayaka admitted that the old fox Lumine had a talent for manipulating readers' emotions.
Although she was sure she would never read this part of the story again, at least for this first read, she was completely immersed.
While Ayaka was fully absorbed in the story, Ye was... zoning out.
Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? was fine, but Re:Zero ... Who in their right mind would read this a second time?
Reading this was like revisiting your own dark past. Wasn't it embarrassing? Wasn't it shameful?
He had already relived it once while writing it. Ye really didn't want to go through it again.
So, while he appeared to be reading, he was actually admiring Ayaka's expressions.
Why had he decided to become a "literary thief" in the first place?
First, to accelerate the development of the entertainment industry. Second, to earn some pocket money. And third, to spread the gospel!
Introducing the works he loved to the people of this world and watching their reactions—what could be more enjoyable?
Back when he and Aha had spread all sorts of rumors about the other Aeons across the universe, causing the entire cosmos to believe them, it hadn't been this satisfying.
So, Ye happily admired Ayaka's "pain mask,"
And, of course, her exquisitely beautiful face.
The sky had gradually darkened, but Ayaka hadn't noticed at all, still immersed in the story.
The atmosphere was getting a bit dangerous.
Ye couldn't help but think.
As expected of Ayaka, so easy to push. If he made a move now, he might really be able to push her over.
After all, the mood was just right.
And although Ye's Path of Original Sin was in a bad state, "shattered" into pieces, it hadn't disappeared. Ye had only used the Path of Beauty to break free from the world's restraints and minimize the influence of Original Sin on himself. As long as he was in this world, the Path of Original Sin wouldn't truly disappear... Although he had originally planned to use the opportunity to escape this world, he hadn't succeeded.
And as long as the Path of Original Sin existed, Ye could still use its power.
In such an atmosphere, using the power of Original Sin to push a woman over would be all too easy, even if Original Sin wasn't in its best state.
Of course, this was just a thought. Ye wouldn't actually do such a thing.
Playing around in dreams to vent his desires was one thing, but in reality... unless it was someone like Kokomi who took the initiative, Ye wouldn't make the first move.
Well, at least for now. As for what happened before he came to this world... let's not talk about that. That's all in the past.
What's done is done. People should look forward!
I've turned over a new leaf.
So, Ye simply quietly admired Ayaka's face, taking in every detail to use as material for his dreams, making the Ayaka in his dreams more realistic.
And then... Ye suddenly realized that the dream version was already quite close to reality.
Ye blinked, thinking carefully.
Wait, now that I think about it, it's not just Ayaka. Kokomi too.
Without having seen them in reality, how could the dream versions of them be so close to reality?
Furina, Charlotte, Ganyu, Yae Miko—these were all people he had seen in reality before dreaming about them, so it made sense that the dream versions matched reality. But Kokomi and Ayaka were people he had dreamed about before meeting them in reality. Why were the real versions so perfectly aligned with the dream versions?
Even if I had seen their photos through intelligence reports, it's impossible for every detail of their bodies to match so perfectly, right?
—A sense of extreme foreboding suddenly welled up in Ye's heart.