Chapter 52: Sad

Should I go buy a copy of "New Novel"?

Muraoka Maki was thinking about this question while eating dinner, and there was always an itchy feeling in her heart.

This morning, after she finished reading the "Japan Industry Review" subscribed to by her family, she had been thinking about this matter. She thought about it during class in the morning, during lunch at noon, and even after school.

She was really curious about what kind of article could be evaluated by Professor Miyagawa Yosuke as "warmth in sadness."

As a high school girl, she shouldn't care so much about this matter, but besides being a student, she is also a literature lover, so it is hard not to pay attention to excellent works.

She didn't think there was anything strange about this; among her friends, there were even "reki-jo" (Japanese girls who like history).

She had been deep in thought and was discovered by her mother who was eating beside her. The latter flicked her forehead with her finger, "Maki, be serious when eating dinner."

"It hurts!" Muraoka Maki covered her head and looked at her mother with some dissatisfaction, but still obediently lowered her head and said: "I know, I will eat properly."

She thought that after eating, she would immediately run to the nearby bookstore to buy the book, but at this moment, the door rang, and a mature male voice came from the entrance "I'm home," followed by "deng deng deng" footsteps.

She turned her head and found that it was her father who had returned, and he seemed to be holding a book in his hand.

Muraoka Maki took a few careful looks and found that it was the "New Novel" she had been thinking about. Her mood jumped, and she reached out to take it.

Her father dodged it and said with a smile: "I know you want to see it, but eat first. Look, your mother is not happy anymore."

Muraoka Maki looked at her mother and found that her expression smiled "amiably" at her—not good, this is a sign that a storm is about to come.

She immediately became honest and started eating honestly. She finished her meal in about 20 minutes and then happily stood up to get the book.

Her mother didn't object this time, just ordered: "Don't forget to do your homework after reading."

Muraoka Maki said "I know," and after saying "thank you" to her father, she took the book back to her room, closed the door, opened the table of contents, and found the work mentioned by Professor Miyagawa Yosuke.

She was actually a bit curious; she didn't know why Professor Miyagawa Yosuke would recommend a writer so strongly. Could it be his disciple?

This is not impossible; after all, in the Japanese literary world, there are many nepotistic relationships, and many writers who seem to have no relationship are often master-disciple or fellow-disciple relationships.

However, if this is really the case, she might be greatly disappointed; after all, she wanted to read this book because of the "strongly recommended" words in the book review.

Forget it, let's not think about that for now.

She cast aside her wild thoughts, looked at the title "Poem of Facing the Sun," and then began to read carefully.

As she read, she became immersed in it.

The story takes place on a girl. She wakes up in a warehouse, and after waking up, she finds herself naked, with a man in a doctor's coat sitting in front of her. In the conversation between the man and her, she learns that she is an android created by the other party.

The two leave the warehouse and head to a cabin at the foot of the mountain. On the way, the girl learns from the man's mouth that the purpose of her creation is to handle housework and be responsible for the man's funeral. The man says to her: "I won't live long."

The girl doesn't understand the meaning of death and nods naively. After this, the two began their life in the cabin.

But in the long time they spent together, the girl began to learn that all humans on Earth had died because of a virus, and only the man survived because he modified himself. And in their daily life together, the girl gradually understood the meaning of "love."

On the last day, the man told the truth that he was also an android, and left this world in the girl's tears.

Muraoka Maki put down the magazine and raised her head.

She didn't expect that she would see such a story.

A "girl" created, buried the person who created her, and also experienced thoughts on life and death.

Is this the so-called "warmth in sadness"?

While Muraoka Maki was in tears, Uesugi Sonoko, far away at Yokohama National University, also fell into deep thought.

She was a bit puzzled about the style of this article.

In her opinion, Akiwara Yuto's works should be mixed with a glimmer of human nature in horror, rather than describing life and death from a girl's perspective like this.

Such an article, how should I put it, is not the type she likes.

Although this article built a world after the destruction of mankind and expressed the brilliance of human nature through such a background: for example, the man and the girl's cherishing and thirst for life, as well as the daily life of the two getting along day and night, and the girl's love for everything in the forest...

But how should I put it, this expression made her feel a bit "hypocritical" and also a bit "deliberate." She felt that it didn't have the depth of the previous articles—being able to express human nature through darkness.

She put down the magazine in her hand and fell into silence for a while.

"Sonoko-chan, don't you like Akiwara-sensei's works the most? Why do you have such a strange expression."

Hearing the voice, Uesugi Sonoko raised her head and saw a girl wearing earrings; the other party was her good friend and roommate Asami Yuki.

Uesugi Sonoko shook her head and responded: "Akiwara-sensei's article this time is not the type I like, and the style is very different from before."

Asami Yuki asked, puzzled: "How much can the work of the same writer change?"

She hesitated, but still guessed: "Could it be ghostwritten?"

Uesugi Sonoko shook her head: "Although the style is different, the writing and penmanship can still be seen as his work."

"Is that so, then there's no way..."

Asami Yuki sighed: "A female singer I liked before was also like this; the good pure style turned into a gal style, making me unable to like it."

Seeing her friend frustrated, Uesugi Sonoko comforted her: "Maybe that singer wants to break through herself; she can't always be..."

Speaking of this, she suddenly seemed to realize something, and had a different idea in her heart.

Akiwara-sensei might also want to break through himself; otherwise, if he always follows the dark type of route, sooner or later he will be questioned by the outside world that his talent has been exhausted...

No wonder the teacher would write such an article; it must be that he wants to try more!

Sorry, I misunderstood you just now!

She became a bit happy, but also had some worries. With this kind of article style, I guess the sales of this issue of "New Novel" won't be very good, right?

Asami Yuki opposite looked at her changing expression and was speechless for a while. Aren't you comforting me? How did you think of that... ===== CHAPTER 53 =====