Hello again!

God, University is hard. This is what I get for picking a competent University to get a great degree, rather than picking some party school. Being a responsible human being sucks, I gotta say.

Jokes aside, I still make time to continue writing these, so I thank anyone for sticking around! I even thank those of you who forgot about this series, but simply decided to check after a long time to see how many updates are out. I hope you're not too disappointed… I'm only human after all. (A human who does all their homework, no less.)

To extend this chapter's word count, let's talk about ChatGPT.

This AI is terrifying. It scares me even more that it's better at writing stories than ALL the bottom tier wattpad stories. Hell, it can probably write a better fanfic than THIS ONE, if it learns the entirety of the Toaru series!

I've started using this program to try and get it to fix my grammar mistakes, and use of vocabulary. I'm sorry for being cheap, but it saves time, you know? I'm just mentioning this in case you notice some of the paragraphs are better written. I'd be impressed if there was anyone with a keen enough eye to notice it though. If you do, you deserve to read a better story than this one, haha.

Well, that's about it. Thanks for the patience, once more.

Now let's get started.

"Oh, dear." A woman quickly shut a hardcover book with a single hand. "Who would have known this repulsive author was capable of making something so filthy and disgusting? The repulsive, disturbing moments make any other horror movie appear like a children's show."

The book was tossed back to a secretary, who fumbled to catch it.

"I certainly dislike it when pests who get in my way get good public opinion. As much as I hate to admit it, it makes them a lot more untouchable."

"So what will you do, Miss Sakura?"

Sakura Chie smiled, and replied. "Nothing."

The secretary was dumbfounded. "N-nothing?" No one could have guessed that reply from her in a day.

"Well, it's not like we can do anything about it anyway. If we ban their books from our school and begin to enforce it, we may get some… complaints."

Sakura continued. "Although I'm confident in shooing away such things by feigning ignorance, and using logic and fallacies in the right spots, but I'm only one person you know?"

"That's why, all we have to do is wait. That little author's success will eventually get in the girl's head. All we have to do is slowly gather information, money, and evidence to deliver a decisive blow.

The secretary shuddered, but maintained his composure. "As expected of you." He said.

"Haha, I simply cannot wait. In card games, I think they call this an 'OTK?' "

"Hey, this part is unrealistic. That dumbass hero should have been dead already if he sustained that injury for that long without healing." Accelerator spoke, flicking the monitor screen, filled with text.

"Can you go TWO SECONDS without calling my Subaru a 'dumbass!?'" Miyano retorted, who was holding a notepad and pen in her hands.

"Ha! So what else is he? Going all this way to save a girl he just met, that's a complete dumbass!"

"You are seriously just so-!"

Yoshikawa watched the sight of Misaka's clone sister, and Accelerator himself bickering at each other. She was happy that they now could interact comfortably, and Accelerator looked lively as ever. The only thing is that their current relationship is not quite how she expected it would go.

"This hero is also weak is shit…" Accelerator continued to comment, which effectively triggered Miyano.

"Hey, listen to me! Subaru may be weak, but his power is seriously a game changer. He can very well kill almost everyone in the series if given enough time and effort."

"..."

"..."

"That doesn't change the fact that he's weak though. Why not make him as strong as that Reinhardt guy so he can shit on all the assholes?"

"THAT'D RUIN THE WHOLE POINT OF THE STORY!"

"Oh yeah? See if I give a shit!"

The two teenagers went at it with each other, as Last Order stuttered tearfully, unsure as to what she should do.

Yoshikawa sighed with a facepalm, contemplating that she could have never expected it to turn out this way.

God that guy is insufferable. I take back every bit of fangirling I did to the badass anti-hero of the Toaru series. I mean, I can't just allow him to taint my babies (er, I mean books) the way he wants.

I eventually made my way past the residence. I had ended up staying there for several nights, completely filled with inspiration. As annoying as Accelerator was, he was actually able to come up with some pretty devious stuff. Great inspiration for someone like me.

After explaining the jist of what happened to my fellow coworker Mai, I was in the middle of a phone call with her.

"Are you sure? You don't have to force yourself." I reassured her.

"No, no. I insist. I have to see through your novels to the end, no matter the contents." Mai said. That's right, Mai was insisting that she would edit my works anyway despite how morbid the story can be. In fact, it might be a good way to take a step back on things, since most of the audience might have the same innocent views on novels just like Mai.

"Just, please take care of yourself. Let me know about anything, okay?" I still voiced my concern. She was my best editor after all, how could I not worry about her?

"To be completely honest, despite the disturbing moments, I've actually gotten quite into the story you set up."

'Ah. I caught another victim…'

But this was the best situation I could be in. I have two people actively giving feedback on my stories with views on two ends of the spectrum. On one end, we have the "goody-two shoes" wholesome and clean stories that Mai would prefer. On the other, we have the darker and distorted stories that Accelerator would prefer.

Stories too "wholesome" would end up looking like they're trying too hard, and start looking cringe.

Stories too "dark" would end up looking nonsensical, and "edgy" which is also bad since those stories start to look cringe as well.

I have to do well to avoid making those stories. Of course, there are some exceptions like "K-ON," and "Eminence in Shadow," which go so far beyond each respective spectrum, to the point where it's meant to be comical.

I had ended my call with Mai, and began wandering around the streets of Academy City with a lot of free time.

"What should I do?" I wondered to myself, thinking of all the things I could do. That was, until she called me.

As I stepped into the bustling shopping mall, I looked around to look for the one who called me. The familiar scent of fresh popcorn and the faint sound of laughter from the arcade filled the air, making me feel instantly at ease.

Spotting our designated meeting spot in the arcade, my eyes darted around to find her.

That's when I found Mikoto, engrossed in collecting arcade coins from one of the claw machines.

"Sup!" I said, all casual-like. It has been so long since I had seen my older sister, I didn't really know how to greet her.

"Sup…? Who the heck says 'Sup' these days?" Mikoto turned around and quipped, expecting to see me.

Before I knew it, we had played the Subaru-Emilia routine from the recent novel I decided to make, without Mikoto knowing.

"Did you read my newest novel 'Re;zero', by any chance?" I was curious as to whenever this was a coincidence or a joke referencing one of my novels. Yoshikawa recently just did that after all.

"No." Mikoto replied instantly. "Wait, you're writing ANOTHER STORY!?"

I turned my head to look away. 'I thought I already told her…'

Mikoto's eyes blazed with sparkling passion. She grabbed my shoulders and shook me, incredulous. "Why didn't you tell me about the story!? I want to read it now!"

"I thought you knew!" I stammered, dizzy from the shaking. Thinking about Mikoto, I then remembered about my deal with the members of ITEM.

"H-hang on a second." I turned around to fiddle with my phone, to send my Light Novel to Kinuhata. The last thing I wanted in the universe was the ranked 4 esper coming for me after all.

"-!"

I felt my older sister's chin press down on my shoulder, keenly observing my phone.

'What are you, a dog?' I couldn't help but think.

"Relax, I'll send you your copy soon. Aren't we going to do stuff here anyway?" I asked. Since she had invited me to a shopping mall, I figured we were going to have a shopping spree. Those kinds of things were things girls enjoyed after all. That's why I had brought some borrowed money from Yoshikawa.

Yoshikawa had lent me a ridiculous amount of money. So much, that I felt guilty and paranoid that I'd be running into loan sharks every now and then. However, Yoshikawa was very much willing to lend this money, probably because she pretty much guaranteed to herself that I'd be paying the money back easily once my novels get put up for sale.

I did appreciate her belief in me, but I also wished she would show some restraint you know?

"So, what will we be doing?" I asked my older sister, she was the one invited me here after all.

"Hm? I dunno." Mikoto replied back.

"Hah?" I sounded out.

"What I mean is, should we even have a plan? Let's just wander around and see what we can do."

"…alright." I gave in. I didn't really want to go against her anyway.

My older sister suddenly grabbed my hand and took me deeper into the arcade.

'This is not what I expected my first date to be like…'

After some walking, Mikoto and I found ourselves in front of a token machine. As soon as we arrived, she let go of my hand and crouched down to use her money card. It was then when tons of arcade tokens were dispensed like a broken vending machine.

"Restocking on Railgun Ammo, huh?" I muttered, staring at the influx of coins.

"Yep! I'll use these to-" Mikoto trailed off, replying to me unconsciously. "-WAIT, no, I mean we'll use these to play games together!"

"Real smooth with your words, huh?" I quipped dryly.

"..." Mikoto smiled nervously.

We looked around the corner of the bustling arcade, to find a claw machine with its vibrant lights and cheerful music. It stood about six feet tall, adorned with colorful graphics of smiling animals, stars, and rainbows.

A large transparent panel formed the front of the claw machine, offering a tantalizing glimpse of a particular familiar mascot that had caught the eye of both my sister and I. For different reasons.

Mikoto turned to look at me, and then back at the machine. As I looked into her glittering eyes, I immediately regretted it. Even though I knew she absolutely loved the little frog mascot "Gekota," I almost didn't believe it given how outlandishly childish it was.

"..." Mikoto looked at me, silently giving me a cue.

"You do know that most claw machines are scams, right?" I answered dryly.

I pressed down the button to lower the claw. As the claw slowly moved straight down slowly, it picked up the stuffed toy by its head. The head was the largest body part of the toy, thus the claw's grip on the animal must be the most stable it could ever be.

Of course, reality can be cruel.

As the claw machine panned over the hole to drop the toy in, the desired toy slipped out of the claw before it could come home.

"Gyahhhh! Damn it!"

Claw machines have a scam that lies in the design of the claw itself. While the claw may appear to work adequately, it is intentionally designed with a loose grip, increasing the likelihood of the prize slipping from its grasp. This deliberate loosening of the claw's grip is a clever psychological ploy that taps into the "Near Miss Effect."

The Near Miss Effect refers to the phenomenon where players narrowly miss winning a prize, creating a heightened sense of anticipation and motivation to keep playing. By intentionally dropping prizes when they seem within reach, the claw machine encourages players to believe that success is just around the corner. This emotional manipulation coerces players into repeatedly trying their luck, even though the odds are stacked against them.

Right now, my sister is currently a victim of this emotional psychological ploy.

"H-hey, could we play one more?"

"...you shouldn't be gambling at this age, Onee-chan." I lectured.

"How is this considered gambling!?" Mikoto retorted back.

"I kinda want to explore the mall more, so do you want to meet up again once you finish with this?" I suggested.

"Alright! Just you wait, I'll get this plush and catch up to you in no time!" Mikoto exclaimed, I could almost see the fire in her eyes.

I smiled and left. 'Don't give the machine a roundhouse kick,' I thought.

"...Why do I feel like you're thinking of something rude right now?" Mikoto asked, almost reading me completely.

Walking around the mall, nothing really catches my interest. Most of the manga here is bad, and I wasn't much of a clothes shopper. Most of the fun was already gone now that I wasn't with the Railgun herself.

As I walked further, a lone piano suddenly came into my view.

'A public piano…' I thought, recalling the memories of seeing one in my previous world. I recalled the popular youtube videos of people playing impressive songs in public, and gathering an audience. My favorite was "Coconut Mall," which was played on a piano with wheels, because the song was an OST from "Mario Kart."

I don't want to brag or anything, but I'm something of a piano player myself. Though I was only self-taught, I know most of the popular anime OPs and EDs.

You might be asking, why did I pick the piano?

Because it's 'Hella Cool.' (- Cid Kageno, AKA "Shadow")

I found myself standing in front of the piano, debating on what song to play. Was I nervous? Yeah, of course I was. My heart was pounding possibly harder than Bocchi's heart before her cultural festival performance.

However, more than ever, I wanted to try playing the piano again after going so long without playing.

'The most popular anime op songs I know are probably…

-Silhouette by KANA-BOON

-Gurenge by LiSA

-Idol by YOASOBI'

'...Which of these should I play?' My thoughts wondered.