Chapter 18: A Debt of Gratitude!
Fusha Bunko—the largest publishing house in all of Japan, completely unmatched. They held nearly 40% of the otaku media market, including light novels, manga, and games.
And behind the scenes of Fusha Bunko… stood a Devil family.
Thanks to the Gremory household's vast network of connections, establishing a relationship with them was surprisingly easy.
Meanwhile, Akira was hard at work at home, typing away as he reproduced the contents of Oregairu's first volume.
One by one, the familiar characters from that story were brought into this world through the words of Shin Akira.
Including the two central figures who embodied the very soul of the series—Hikigaya Hachiman, the so-called Master of Loneliness, and Yukinoshita Yukino.
Youth is a lie—and a sin.
Those who glorify youth are only lying to themselves and everyone around them.
Even when they make terrible mistakes, they still label it all as "youthful memories
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In Japan, light novel publishing still prioritized physical volumes over online releases. One volume typically spanned around a hundred thousand words.
But for someone like Shin Akira, a former programmer, writing that much wasn't difficult—especially now that he was no longer an ordinary human. His typing speed had far surpassed average.
Most importantly, he wasn't creating a story from scratch. He was simply rewriting an existing novel. No brainstorming or plotting required—just copy and adapt.
Sure, he couldn't replicate the original perfectly, but the core plot, character personalities, and narrative tone could still be faithfully preserved. It was a skill rooted in the fundamentals of coding—or at least, that's how he saw it.
Throughout the night, Akira worked nonstop. The clicking of his keyboard echoed through the silent room, rapid and constant, like the ticking of a high-speed clock.
Only when the clock struck three in the morning did he finally pause. He saved the file onto a U-disk, checked that everything was backed up, and closed his laptop with a sigh of completion.
— — —
The next morning, as expected, Akira overslept.
It was already close to eleven when he cracked open his eyes and lazily glanced at the wall clock. Still, he didn't panic. He stretched slowly, washed his face, and calmly got ready for the day.
Technically speaking, he was a high school student… but Akira never truly saw himself as one. He only stayed at Kuoh Academy because it was the central stage for this world's main storyline.
After a light breakfast, he casually headed off to school—nearly at noon. Skipping class? Please. He never cared about that in the first place.
As soon as he stepped into the classroom, a girl approached him.
"Shin-kun, why weren't you here this morning? Did something happen?"
The voice belonged to Hanakai Momo. She clearly had approached him with a purpose.
"Nothing serious," Akira replied without hesitation. "I just stayed up late, so I overslept."
"Oh… I see. That's good, then. I was worried."
Internally, Momo wanted to sigh. Seriously? I came all the way over here, and he just brushes me off like that? No smile, no interest, just plain cold.
But when she looked at Akira's handsome face, all that frustration melted away.
It was true—looks could change everything. A good-looking guy or a beautiful girl always had an advantage. Even the smallest interactions felt more pleasant when coming from someone attractive.
"Shin-kun, someone's looking for you."
That voice came from the classroom doorway.
Akira turned around—and saw a tall girl with a signature ponytail standing there. Himejima Akeno.
"Eh!? That's Akeno-oneesama!"
"She came to our class!? I could die happy right now…"
"She's too gorgeous… I can't handle it…"
"Akeno-sama, I love you!!"
The classroom erupted into chaos. Desks were shifted, murmurs spread like wildfire, and a few boys even jumped from their seats with starry eyes.
Even Akira was a bit surprised. He knew she was popular, but this popular?
It felt like a celebrity had just walked into a public school. If she ever debuted as an idol, she'd probably become a national goddess overnight.
"Sorry, Hanakai-san," Akira said gently as he turned away. "Someone's looking for me."
"I-it's fine…" Momo mumbled, watching his back with a quiet sigh.
As a member of Sona's peerage, she knew very well who Akeno was. Both of them were reincarnated Devils—but their status couldn't be more different.
Hanakai Momo was just a Bishop, while Akeno… was the Queen.
To put it in perspective—one Queen piece was equal to nine Pawn pieces, while a Bishop was only worth three.
As Akira stepped out to meet Akeno, the stir in the classroom continued. The legendary Madonna of Kuoh Academy had just come to fetch someone in person. That wasn't something you saw every day.
"You weren't at school this morning," Akeno said with a gentle smile. "I was so worried~ I thought about messaging you… but then I realized, I don't even have Shin-kun's number."
"Yeah," Akira replied with a nod. "My old phone went missing. I haven't had time to get a new one."
"I see… so that's why you're in such a rush to make money." Akeno smiled knowingly, her voice light and teasing. Whether or not it was true didn't matter.
If Akira said it, then it was fact—everything else was irrelevant.
"If Akeno-senpai went out of her way to look for me, I'm guessing it's good news?" he asked, a slight tilt to his head.
"Bingo~" Akeno beamed. "Rias worked really hard last night and finally managed to get in touch with someone from Fusha Bunko. They're ready to establish a connection for you."
"Wow…" Akira's eyes widened slightly. "I'm really grateful to both Rias-senpai and Akeno-senpai."
"This involves your future, after all. Of course we'd take it seriously."
Both of them understood—this was a clean-cut transaction.
Akira owed them a favor. In return, they offered their support. Nothing more, nothing less.
Still, there were clear benefits to maintaining a close relationship with Akira.
"Oh right—since you lost your phone, how are you planning to contact the publisher later?" Akeno asked curiously.
"About that…" Akira replied calmly. "I'm leaving it to you, Akeno-senpai."
He reached into his bag and handed her the U-disk he had prepared in advance.
It was part of his plan all along.
In this world, he had no official identity. Though he had documents as a transfer student at Kuoh Academy, beyond that, there was nothing.
If anyone tried to run a serious background check on him, they'd find… absolutely nothing. He didn't exist here.
"My, my~" Akeno chuckled softly. "You're quite good at making people work for you."
"Then let's say I owe you one, Akeno-senpai," Akira replied with a faint smile. "As long as it's not something too outrageous, I'll do anything you ask."
"Anything, you say?"
"Of course."
Akeno's eyes sparkled with mischief as she leaned in closer.
"In that case… how about this for my request: Shin-kun, will you go out with me?"
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