Okay, there are a LOT of spoilers for Steins;Gate here. Even the warnings might not be enough. I suppose I can leave a TL;DR below the chapter if you can't stand even the tiniest spoilers or references.
I sincerely apologize in advance if I ever ruin a show for you, and I get that you would want to bring out an anime's fullest potential. If you ever do get spoiled, please let me know so I can edit this story to set up more warnings in the correct places.
Thanks a lot for the new suggestions of series I've been getting. Unfortunately, I have never heard of some of the series suggested. Especially the non-Japanese ones. I still give my thanks for nice recommendations of novels for me to read in the future (Who knows, I might use them after I finish reading them!)
Steins;Gate.
A series that originally started out as a video game, turned into one of the most successful animes among the community. The very concept of this anime purely revolves around time travel.
I typed efficiently onto the keyboard, managing all sorts of research papers and facts that were sent to me.
I'm not even going to question how I'm able to connect with the network.
What's important is that I- no, we are able to work at a faster pace.
Of course, I still had to do the writing and art myself so the pace isn't that much faster, but the brainstorming and research accelerated by much over a thousand-fold.
I learned that the topic on time is very plausible among the community of scientists in Academy City. Which is nice, because that gives me more room to work with.
"We can give this scientist who published this paper in 2XXX a mention in your book says MISAKA 16883."
"Thanks." I only thought back quickly.
In short, my sisters were in charge of digging up explanations and theories to use for the story, while I was alone in charge of shortening the information, and having it delivered to the reader effectively while keeping them entertained.
!SPOILERS-START!
"I believe the concept of fate, with the short black haired girl dying no matter what is a tad unlikely comments Misaka 10032"
"But not completely impossible." I retorted back. "This part will be the factor that will keep the reader's attention using intensity and hope. It will also be food for the protagonist's growth throughout the story.
!SPOILERS-END!
"I see, as expected of an author like you, praises Misaka 10032. To think you have thought about this wonderful fictional story to this extent."
"Thanks a lot, says Misaka 15712 with a slight blush."
Being connected to the network is a very strange feeling; however, it felt strangely familiar and nostalgic. It's also strange that I'm only connected to the network when I put on and activate my goggles.
This time, I'll have to adapt about 4 episodes per volume, and I'll have to properly pick the better cliffhangers between volumes (Sorry, hungry readers!). Steins;Gate had about 24ish episodes, along with a few specials. I personally think that the specials and the movies will have to be included this time, as it brings the viewer a nice firm conclusion. Another true masterpiece, the key factor to what made this successful in my opinion is how nicely planned out the script was; almost every detail given was not in vain. This means that there still can be additional things the reader can notice when reading/watching a second time, giving them the incentive to read/watch again.
This time, I felt the need to alter the setting and characters a little so that the place feels a lot more like Academy City. Stories being relatable is also an important factor that leads to success, as Komi-san can't communicate almost revolved around how relatable it was to the reading introverts.
I had pretty much decided all the main character's abilities and levels, but the Shining Finger was a bit hard to decide.
!SPOILERS-START!
The character had a lonely childhood, along with some traumatic events. This as a result had kept her very vulnerable to manipulation.
So, when someone contacted her and made use of her, her obsession grew onto them. Thus, she did practically anything for them, even murder. Her backstory wasn't indulged too much, but it was still deep as far as I could tell.
!SPOILERS-END!
This is what becomes contradictory; if she has a high level and fancy ability, she wouldn't have been made an outcast in the first place. Thus, I had to build a reasonable, yet sad backstory for her.
"..."
"This is quite difficult…" I spoke out loud.
As I sighed, I noticed that all the theories and hypotheses gathered on time-travel have been collected, credited, and neatly organized onto my document. The problem I had faced was solved immediately.
Already… I guess that's over 10 thousand people for you. I feel guilty for using the Misaka Network over just a novel series.
"It seems we are done, says Misaka 10032."
"It was but a mere trivial task, says Misaka 10096"
"Thank you so much, everyone. Misaka 15712 feels grateful for all the trouble."
"Don't be, but as thanks… says Misaka 10032 hoping 15712 would take the hint."
"Y-yes…?"
My heart raced a little. Did they want something from me? Are they going to ask me how or why I changed?
"We would all like a copy of the novel, as the brief summary and plot you have given us has greatly interested us. Your first novel also brought tears to our eyes, says Misaka 10032, on behalf of everyone here."
"Ahaha, sure thing sister."
Gotta say, it's tough being an author. Though it's nice that you don't really have a boss, but now that I have experience not having one, it's probably better to have a boss; even a strict one at that.
Why, you ask? I can understand that having someone constantly telling you what to do and pressuring you to get more things done isn't very nice, but I want you to try having a boss that LIVES INSIDE YOUR HEAD.
That's right, I may be having the same experience.
After my constant cycle of working, cramps, and burnout in the makings of Violet Evergarden, I probably began to grow more insecure and strange whenever I'm not working.
Gotta say, it's not a fun experience. Especially since I can't bring the other things I enjoy to their fullest. Whenever I begin playing Puyo Puyo Tetris, I immediately feel like I should be working.
Every. Single. Time. Even when I'm sleeping, in my dreams!
Here I was, out in a local cafe. With my laptop of course.
"What has my life become…" I muttered under my breath.
It was nice that Academy City had a nice and peaceful cafe with a good atmosphere. Right next to me, I had a little bit of sweets and a warm coffee on my right hand side.
The Library was also a good place to be in, but the constant discussions and noise didn't make it feel like a library at all. I still remember the experience like yesterday…
I sat down with my laptop, typing up my rough draft in the library. It was quiet at first, with some occasional coughs.
Though I could be working in my own apartment, it was always a great change of pace to work elsewhere. It is apparently proven that it can be unhealthy for a person to be in the same place for long periods of time. Don't be a shut-in; unless you want to be isekaied or something.
"Sniff…"
I heard someone sniffle. It definitely startled me, but they probably just have a cold, so it cannot be helped I guess. I returned to face my laptop…
I think we can all agree that it was pretty clear what was going to happen next then. As it turns out, the sniffling was actually a student bawling in tears. Not only that, but the libraries had their "Historical Fiction" section almost packed with people. That book is still raging on with popularity, I might be able to get away with selling official concept arts as the author…
NO. I can't let myself get greedy. Focus on the mad scientist first.
Well, anywho, here I was, in a coffee shop which was still a relatively good place for studying, as long as you were a customer. In this case, it was certainly better than the library. The coffee shop was pretty full, with casual people who drop by for a donut or coffee, some judgment officers talking together on break, or even some people like me who were busy tapping away their laptops, working on projects or papers of the like. I would have to say I'm pretty lucky to have been able to catch a seat here.
"Hello? Excuse me."
I looked up from my laptop and noticed a teenage girl who looked to be around the same age as me (or rather, the same age as Misaka). She had lavender hair, in the forms of two adorable twintails. Of course, I wasn't all that surprised by the exotic hairstyle and color. Now that I began to meet many people through my part time job, I see that the people had many… interesting natural hair colors. What can I expect? It was an anime world after all.
Putting the girl's hair aside, she had pointed "tsurime" eyes looking at me in a somewhat menacing authoritative manner. She was carrying a school bag in one hand, and had her other hand on her hip.
Her overall look and posture reminded me of Kagami Hiiragi from the moe series "Lucky Star". I wonder what she wanted from me?
"Yes, can I help you?" I answered in my usual not-3rd-person-voice.
"Can I sit here with you? I won't be bothering you, and this place is pretty packed."
I glanced at the crowd of people in the coffee shop. "I guess you're right…" I commented.
"Go right ahead, I don't mind." I said.
"Thank you very much."
The girl sat down across from me, and pulled out a laptop of her own. Her eyes looked deeply focused. I could tell that she was a very observant and hard-working person.
"Tch!" The girl clicked her tongue. She alternated between tapping vigorously onto her keyboard, and shifting her fingers onto her mouse pad. I wasn't that big of a fan of mousepads, so I had a wireless mouse with me.
Observing the girl, she used her mouse quite often for what's supposedly some sort of document that she needed to type. However, most documents require you to use only the keyboard to type. I didn't really pay much attention to that, but I did find it slightly unusual.
Curious, I decided to ask. "What are you making there?"
The girl raised her eagle-like gaze. "I'm not making anything. I'm editing documents sent to me."
"Ah, I see…"
"Sorry if I'm bothering you." The girl's angry and aggressive facial expression calmed into a sincere one. My shoulders relaxed after knowing it wasn't my fault. "Editing documents can be pretty frustrating if you don't get any breaks."
I totally understand what you're going through!
"What's stopping you from having any breaks?" I asked instead, contrary to my thoughts.
"Well, editing and correcting mistakes is my specialty. Most of my groupmates simply do a shitty job on their projects without a care in the world and expect me to make it presentable."
Ah, judging by how stressed she looks, she must have been having at least 3 people dumping their work on her to make it better huh? They're treating her like a machine.
I drank my coffee. Well, I could be over assuming things after all. They might be nice people who don't really mean it for all I know.
"Sheesh!" The girl puffed out, in a ranting manner. My eyes shifted towards her, with the cup still against my lips. "They always pressure me to join their group, and use me however they see fit! They really crossed the line when they began to plagiarize…"
"GACK!"
I choked on my coffee, coughing. The black, bitter liquid burned into my soft throat. Plagiarism? Seriously? So I was right at the beginning! These guys are nothing but douchebags!
"Are you okay, Ayaka?" The girl asked with concern.
"Y-yeah, I'm fine."
"..."
Wait…
I froze upon the realization of what the girl had just called me. It felt as though the world had shattered around me, and I wished that I would fall into another dimension and 'ZA WARUDO' this situation.
"I'm kidding!" The girl said with a little laugh. "There's no way you're that Ayaka Hiiragi!"
"..."
"Hey! I hardly make jokes, you know!? This is your cue to be laughing!"
I had no choice but to go along with the situation.
"Why did you call me that? It was just so sudden."
"Well, I noticed what you were writing of course." She said, shrugging.
Oh…
"You want to be an author don't you? I can see that." She said again.
"I heard Hiiragi-sama's interview the other day, and she said that she was looking for an editor! Someday I will figure out her identity!"
"What will you do when you meet her?" I asked, genuinely curious.
"W-well, I'll beg her to let me edit her works!"
I felt a sense of superiority, so much so that my nose may elongate like pinocchio. I was enjoying this.
"Why are you wearing such a smug smile? It's kind of weird." The girl asked. The words pierced me through the heart.
"Well, I just thought it was kinda cute seeing how you look up to Ayaka."
The girl was reddened with embarrassment. "W-w-well, I don't want to hear that from you! You're writing fanfiction or something there, aren't you!?"
"Your face says it all though~"
"That's wrong! Idiot! Dummy! Hypocrite!"
The girl continued to deny my teasing. This is so much fun!
"Well, I'm Misaka Miyano. What's your name?" I asked.
"Mai… Kisaragi Mai." the girl introduced herself.
After my fun, I noticed that we made quite a fuss. Some other customers were staring at us, because we were the loudest in the cafe by a wide margin.
"Kisaragi-san, we should get going." I told her.
"Y-yeah, we should." It seems she noticed that we have all the attention too.
"So, do you know a good place to work?" Kisaragi asked me.
"What?" I questioned.
"You were the one who drove us out of the coffee shop! You oughta take responsibility!"
"You were the one who chose to become all bashful; If anything, isn't it you who's at fault here?" I said with a smile.
"Wha-!"
"I'm joking, sorry." I immediately cut in before things got out of hand. I think I've gotten a good grasp of her personality. My Otaku senses are telling me that it'd be hilarious to see her interact with my older sister. They were the same type after all. "I'll invite you over to my apartment. We can work silently there." I said shortly after.
"If you could have worked silently in your apartment, why did you go out of your way to go to a noisier, busier coffee shop though?" Kisaragi asked. A fair thing to wonder about, to say the least.
"Well, I thought working somewhere besides my room would be a nice change of pace!" I replied.
"...you're quite strange, you know that?"
"It's not a bad thing, is it?"
"Well, I suppose it isn't…"
I ran a little ahead of Kisaragi and turned around. "We're almost there, let's hurry Mai-Mai!" I reached out to grab her hand and dragged her the rest of the way to the apartment.
"Geez- how old are you!?" She screamed.
"..."
"W-wait! What's with the nickname too!?"
She just noticed that, huh?
"Well, this is my home." I said. My voice slowed down when I realized what my room looked like. Let's just say, it wasn't exactly presentable to a guest.
Of course, I saw Mai-Mai's look of absolute disgust upon witnessing my room.
"Ah, sorry Mai-Mai. I usually don't have visitors. I'll clean it up as fast as I can."
"Since when were we on a nickname basis?!" Mai screamed back, blushing. I really can't help but laugh at her personality.
"Then why don't you come up with a nickname for me too?" I said back, as I began to clean everything up.
Mai quieted down. After some time, I finally finished cleaning, and it still seemed like Mai was trying to come up with a nickname for me.
"What? You can't think of one?" I said, as I just finished.
"It's really hard, okay!?" She snapped back. "Wait, why am I trying to give you a nickname? If anything, you should be the one to stop calling me that!"
"Ah, well, things aside…" I said, I handed Mai a small printout. "You're an editor, right? Can you just tell me what you think of this draft?" As I gave her a small stack of paper, Mai looked at them instantly.
"You're writing a story? What for?" Mai asked.
"Just tell me what you think first."
"…okay."
"…"
"Well, to say the least, it's format was shit." Mai said, after she skimmed through the last page.
"Gah!" That hit me hard in the chest. I haven't received criticism for quite a while. It's expected the grammar and writing from my original world would be for infants in a place like Academy City.
"The tenses are all over the place, the grammar is at most middle school level, and the use of vocabulary is quite basic."
TKO.
I was on the ground, with the feeling of my soul about to rise from my mouth any moment.
"But…"
I sat up, and looked up at her.
"Writing aside, the story is very engaging. I just can't help but want more." Mai admitted, fidgeting a little with her hands.
Aww.
I stood up to face her. "Thanks! Now let's get going-"
"Wait!" Mai interrupted. I look into her eyes to hear her out. "What was the title of that story?"
I looked down and smiled slightly, then I looked back up.
"It's called Steins;Gate. With a Semicolon."
Mai's eyes widened a little. "Wait… does that mean…"
I stuck out my hand for a handshake. "Another name I go by is Ayaka Hiiragi. As for your nickname for me… Doesn't 'Ayaya' sound fun?! Mai-Mai and Ayaya, that's us!"
"So, Mai-Mai." I extended my hand further. "Will you be my editor?"
TL;DR: Sisters basically finish all "science" aspects everything with ease. Then, our Protagonist meets a new character...