After dinner, everyone dispersed to shower or work on their animation projects. Most of them assumed Sorata's casual submission of the college application was a joke. As for Mitaka Jin and Sengoku Chihiro, they were somewhat surprised by Sorata's relaxed attitude despite being surrounded by a group of genius oddballs. Normally, an average person would feel at least a little inferior or pressured when standing beside prodigies like Shiina and Misaki. But Sorata wasn't most people.
He wasn't joking at all. In fact, he had long since noticed the incredibly booming manga, light novel, anime, and game entertainment culture in this version of Japan. How booming, exactly? So much that nearly seventy percent of teenagers were immersed in the world of the second dimension. Industries connected to light novels, manga, and anime stretched across cities large and small.
In this world, being an otaku—someone who loved novels, anime, manga, and esports—and discussing related topics was no longer something frowned upon. It was as normal as chatting about movies or TV series. It almost felt like some invisible force was shaping Japan's economy and cultural atmosphere, guiding it steadily toward this otaku-friendly society.
Due to the altered history of this world—perhaps because some authors had not yet been born—many iconic, world-famous, god-tier anime and light novels that Sorata remembered simply didn't exist. Titles like the post-apocalyptic mecha epic EVA, the youth romance Toradora, and the emotionally driven slice-of-life series CLANNAD were nowhere to be found.
However, the legendary Big Three long-running anime still existed, continuing to exert their massive influence over the world of anime and the second dimension in Japan.
Sorata had a plan. He intended to write down the stories of the anime and novels that didn't exist here but lived vividly in his memory. Not only would this be an easy way to make some pocket change, but he felt zero guilt over plagiarizing them. After all, he had survived countless life-and-death situations. If something could be used to help him, then that was enough. As for shame or ethics? Sorata had long abandoned such emotions.
Of course, making money wasn't difficult for him. If he really wanted to, he could casually bring out a few technologies from the star-level civilizations stored in his memory. With the right selections, it wouldn't be hard to become the richest man on the planet. But he also knew that doing so would attract a storm of attention and interference. Especially now, when his strength hadn't recovered much, that would be nothing short of dangerous. He didn't want that kind of trouble.
No, he preferred to develop in peace and out of sight.
That night, Sorata didn't go to bed early. He worked until midnight, then yawned and gave a small nod of satisfaction as he looked at the completed first volume of Toradora on the screen. He clicked save.
"Done. Send it and go to sleep."
In just four hours, he had recreated the entire first volume of the Toradora light novel—almost a hundred thousand words—straight from memory. He had even slightly tweaked some parts to better fit this world's current social environment and reader preferences.
He opened the submission page for Dengeki Bunko, a well-known Japanese publishing house, found the email address for manuscript submissions, and sent it off without hesitation. Then he put it out of his mind and went to bed.
The expansive light culture industry had given rise to numerous publishing companies. With increasing demand and fierce competition, Japan's three largest publishers had all launched online submission portals earlier that year, promoting the idea that anyone could write a light novel. The move had sparked a massive wave of submissions, though ninety-nine percent of them were mediocre and lacked commercial potential. That worked perfectly in Sorata's favor.
The next morning, Sorata went upstairs to wake up Shiina Mashiro.
"Shiina, wake up."
He knocked on her door and called out. No response.
Sighing, he opened the unlocked door and walked in. Today, the room wasn't scattered with sexy lingerie like yesterday. Instead, manga manuscripts covered the floor. Underneath the computer desk, Shiina lay curled in a blanket, clearly having worked late into the night again.
"Get up," Sorata squatted down beside her and gently placed a hand on her shoulder, giving her a light shake.
"Good morning..." she murmured sleepily, blinking up at him.
Once she came to her senses, she obediently crawled out from under the desk. Thanks to Sorata's constant reminders over the past two days, she had at least started wearing pajamas to sleep. It was progress.
Not bad. She listens.
Sorata nodded but immediately sighed.
Because Shiina had only worn the pajama top.
"You're not treating me like a man at all, are you?"
"Isn't Sorata a man?" she asked innocently, tilting her head in confusion.
"I think your understanding of men is flawed. But even if I explain, you wouldn't get it. Just go change your clothes."
He handed her the underwear and Suimei High uniform she needed. While she changed, Sorata tidied up the room for her.
"Hair," she said softly, sitting down at the dressing table wearing only a blue undergarment. Still half-asleep, she hadn't even noticed her uniform had fallen to the floor.
"Comb your own hair. And put on your clothes first," Sorata said, flipping through her manga manuscript with mild surprise.
Thirty-two pages, the final chapter of a story. The art was astonishing. Lifelike lines, vivid characters—it looked like they would leap off the page at any second. In Sorata's eyes, this was the level of a fifth-grade international professional sketch artist, and this wasn't even her best medium. Her oil paintings were even more incredible.
But...
The story was terribly dull.
"Hair," she repeated, turning to him with sleepy, trusting eyes like a kitten. Her soft voice was laced with a nasal tone that made it hard to refuse.
"Alright, alright. I'll comb it for you," Sorata relented, shaking his head.
If he didn't help, they'd never get to school before nine or ten. Not that he really cared about being late, but if he was going to school, he might as well look a little more responsible. Even getting marked late a few fewer times was something.
He stood behind her, lifting her messy long hair with one hand. Just as he was about to begin combing, Shiina suddenly leaned back and rested against his chest.
"Mmm... Sorata smells like sunshine," she murmured, rubbing her cheek against him with her eyes closed.
"What time did you sleep last night?" Sorata steadied her swaying body, placing a hand on her smooth shoulder. He frowned as he looked down at the half-naked girl in his arms.
"Don't remember. Fell asleep while drawing," she said drowsily, still not opening her eyes.
"You pulled another all-nighter? Then don't go to school today. Just rest."
"Okay," she mumbled and immediately dozed off again in his arms.
"So tired?"
Sorata shook his head, gently carried her to the bed, covered her with a blanket, and left the room.
Downstairs, he ran into Sengoku Chihiro, who was about to leave.
"Chihiro-sensei, Shiina drew all night and just fell asleep. She won't be going to school today."
"I figured," Chihiro nodded, unsurprised.
"Eh, Junior, did you grow taller?" a surprised voice called out.
Kamiigusa Misaki rushed over, circling him excitedly.
"Junior, Junior, do you have a secret for growing taller quickly? You're two centimeters taller than a few days ago! Tell Senpai, I want to grow too!"
"How could you tell that I grew exactly two centimeters? And even if I did, it's just puberty. Where would a secret come from?"
Sorata pushed her face away with an annoyed expression.
"Puberty... sigh, I really thought you had a hack for height," Misaki pouted, clearly disappointed.
Sorata had noticed the changes in his body long ago. Thanks to the transformation from his Kryptonian bloodline, his height had increased from one hundred sixty seven to one hundred sixty nine centimeters. His facial features were becoming more defined and handsome, and a subtle masculine charm had emerged on his youthful face. His body now carried a faint aura of sunlight, a result of constantly absorbing solar energy.
And this was just the beginning. As his bloodline continued to evolve, so would his body. It was the natural instinct of higher lifeforms to seek perfection.
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Try Other Fics I Have
•SAO: I replaced him?
•Anime: I Want Harem
•DxD: I am Kanda Sorata
•Anime: Curse Of Immortality
•Genshin Impact: I have Broken System