Chapter 26: Accepting Her True Self

While Natsumi was studying doujinshis quietly, Utaha took out a document in her backpack and handed it to Shido. It was certainly the original manuscript that Utaha mentioned.

Utaha'ss writing was very good, the plot of her college romance novels was very beautiful, but not engaging. So, even though she had a good reputation in the light novel industry, it was impossible for her to become popular. After all, most readers of light novels did not like simple pure love stories.

So she planned to transform. You know, from pure love to harem route. However, the transformation was not so easy; her editor had rejected her work many times. Even so, she persisted because she knew that she was aiming for something big and she would get it if she kept trying.

Back to Utaha, who chuckled and said:

"This is the original manuscript that my editor rejected yesterday. It was already written in a direction that readers like, but I didn't expect it to work. Shido-kun, please help me read it!"

"No problem."

Shido nodded affirmatively and started reading the manuscript.

He put the manuscript on the table, and Eriri seemed curious too, so she sat next to Shido. The two were sitting pretty close, but Natsumi didn't complain, so Shido didn't say much.

The story written by Utaha was very simple: The male protagonist was a traverser, reincarnated into another world, possessing supreme magic power and the strongest swordsmanship. Along the way, he met many girls and helped them defeat the bad guys. It was a story of the typical Isekai trend that became popular recently. You know, the reincarnation genre.

For such a novel, as long as it was well written and the illustrations were beautiful, the sales should not be too bad. If she was lucky, there would even be opportunities for an anime adaptation. Of course, for some authors, getting an anime adaptation might be a bad thing...

But when Shido read Utaha's novels , he always felt something awkward, and after thinking about it for a while, he understood why.

"Hey, why did the princess and the knight lady suddenly simp for the MC?" Shido asked with a frown.

"Because he's the male protagonist! Isn't that the case with all these types of novels? Girls should be head over heels for them!" Utaha said as a matter of course.

"But there must be a reason, right?" Shido said softly.

"The male protagonist is good-looking and has amazing power, isn't that good enough?" Utaha tilted her head and said.

"Let's take a look at your work, 'Metronome in Love', and tell me: How did the two heroines fall in love with the main character?" Shido asked a little abruptly.

"The second heroine is a childhood sweetheart, and she understands the protagonist's personality, so she loves him unconditionally! As for the heroine, she saw the protagonist taking care of an abandoned kitten on the street, and felt that he was very gentle..." Utaha replied in a low voice.

"That's great, but what happened to your new work?" Shido said pointedly.

"But aren't all isekai novels about the main character picking up girls like magnets? And I've never been to another world, so how do I know about the culture of foreign citizens?" Utaha shook her head and seemed to disagree with Shido's statement.

"It's okay for girls to be head over heels for the male protagonists, but there must be a good reason, not some mindless simping. The male protagonists being handsome and strong are good reasons for liking them, but most of the readers do not want to see girls fall in love for simple reasons like that."

Shido's message was obvious: If those girls could fall for strong guys that easily, wouldn't that mean they would fall for guys stronger than the previous ones? In that case, their love must be very cheap.

In Utaha's novel, "Metronome in Love", those reasons for liking the protagonists were actually genuine, making them easier for readers to accept. Long-term companionship was the unique advantage of childhood friends, so long as they witnessed how gentle their love interests were."

As for Utaha's thoughts, she believed that everything would go the way the male protagonists wanted, but it would still cause unnecessary speculation in readers, which would not be a good thing.

"But there is no example of transmigrating to another world around me! How should I write something like that without reference?" Utaha said with an annoyed expression.

"If that's the case, I will help…" Shido said softly, then waved his hand with a carefree smile. "Hi! I'm Shido from another world, pleased to make your acquaintance!"

Hearing these words, Natsumi glanced at Shido with a surprised look, and then continued to read her doujin. Although Shido was telling the truth, no one would atually believe it!

Sure enough, Utaha nodded thoughtfully, and then asked curiously:

"I see, you can be an example of the other world..."

"That's right!"

Shido nodded affirmatively..

"Then shall I interview you?"

Utaha asked with a smile.

"No problem, bring it on!"

Shido smiled. He wanted to help the other party, and he planned on telling the truth. But, as Natsumi and he speculated, no one would actually believe what he said.

"Shido-kun, how did you feel when you first crossed into this world?"

Utaha thought about it for a while and asked such a question. Although she didn't think Shido was a traverser, she was sure that Shido's approach could give her a lot of inspiration.

"It's a little uneasy! After all, it's a strange world, and the people I care about the most are separated from me..." Shido thought for a while and replied. That was indeed how he felt when he first came to this world. He feared that he might not be able to see the Spirits again.

He wondered how he turned things around at first. But suddenly, he felt a little headache, as if a crucial part of his memory was missing.

"Uneasy... Then how did you get used to it?" Utaha nodded and asked again.

"I…I could only get used to it slowly." Shido rubbed his head before continuing. "By understanding this world, I learn how to adapt to its environment."

"Then how did you get to know Natsumi?" Utaha asked with great interest. Although this was a bit off the main question, maybe to the point of gossip, she just couldn't help but be curious.

Not only her, but also Eriri was looking at Shido and was very interested to know this.

"In the beginning, I just met her in an ordinary way without much communication. Later, when she was attacked by a group of bad, flying wizards, I rescued her." Shido replied briefly, recollecting his thoughts from the past. "Our relationship gradually improved, and I got to know her more and more..."

"The knight in shining armor to the rescue! What a fantastic idea!" Utaha nodded affirmatively. This was a way to show the strength of the hero, and it could also give girls a reason to fall in love with them.

Natsumi blushed and lowered her head after hearing these words. She knew that Shido was right: She met him in a spatial quake, then she misunderstood him and tried to mess with his life. She literally ruined his reputation in school, but he never condemned her. Instead, he rescued her from the most powerful wizard in the world, and helped her gain confidence in her true self.

The more she thought about it, the more guilty she felt toward him. In fact, she felt that she didn't deserve to be on his side. Even so, he accepted her as she was, and she couldn't help but be head over heels for him.

While Natsumi was flustered, the conversation between Shido and Utaha continued.

Utaha asked a lot of questions, and Shido answered half-truths. Anyway, the other party would never know how much of the information was true.

Shido had no idea how much help this interview could be, but he figured that a girl as smart as Utaha should be fine!

The four exchanged words with each other until they finished their meal, and then bid each other adieu.

After separating from Utaha and Eriri, Shido took Natsumi to a local park for a walk. However, Natsumi blushed and didn't speak much, which made Shido a little worried.

"Natsumi, are you alright?"

Shido asked while rubbing her cute head.

"Yah!"

Natsumi let out a cry, then shook her head.

"Uh..."

Why did it feel like Natsumi was hypersensitive?

In fact, Natsumi was thinking of lots of erotic things in her mind at the moment, so when Shido talked to her, she would naturally be flustered. Holding Shido's hand made her heartbeat keep accelerating.

"Should we go home now?"

Shido suggested with a concerned look.

"Home?!"

Natsumi blushed, obviously thinking about something else.

"Are you okay?"

Shido asked in more concern.

"Yes, I'm fine."

Natsumi blushed and shook her head, but she wondered if Shido wanted to do what she had in mind.

If so, what should she do so that Shido wouldn't think she was a casual girl, and at the same time, let things go smoothly?

If not, should she take the initiative?

Natsumi kept thinking wildly, so much so that she didn't hear what Shido said next, and when she came back to her senses, the two had already returned home!

Natsumi sat on the sofa, waiting for Shido's action, but Shido didn't do anything, just sat beside her.

"Shido..."

Natsumi said softly.

"What's wrong?"

Shido turned around and saw Natsumi's deep red cheeks, and suddenly understood something.

"You said it before, that as long as I can accept my original self, you will..."

Natsumi was a little shy, but she still insisted on speaking her mind.

"Is it because of the doujins you read just now?"

Shido frowned and asked.

"No, I have been wanting this for a long time!"

Natsumi shook her head, blushing even more.

"If that's the case, then let's do it..."

Shido chuckled lightly and carried Natsumi in his arms, earning a yelp from the timid girl. But she didn't resist, simply leaning her little head against his firm chest.

A/N:

Next Chapter will be lemon between Shido x Natsumi! It might take a while, but I will try my best.

Also, Happy Thanksgiving!