Chapter 140: The Frost Empress Under the Moonlight
Time passed quietly, and before he knew it, the clock had ticked past nine in the evening.
The girls, who had spent their time in the living room, started to get up and prepare for bed. Hachiman was no exception.
However, he found himself unable to sleep. After some contemplation, he decided to leave the villa and walk to the beach.
The sky had long darkened, and the moon, resembling a clear mirror, hung high above. Its crystalline light illuminated the surroundings, casting a layer of silvery frost across the sand.
The moonlight touched the gently moving sea, creating a reflection of the shoreline's rocks on the water's surface.
The beach at night had none of the daytime's sweltering heat. A sea breeze carried a refreshing coolness.
As Hachiman walked along the nighttime shore, he finally had a moment of quiet reflection.
Throughout the day, he had been pulled along by Komachi's enthusiasm, leaving him with little personal time.
He understood his sister's intentions. She wanted to use this seaside getaway to foster his relationships with the girls and, ideally, create a romantic connection with one of them.
But, sis, you should know that your big brother's situation is quite complicated.
He's no longer a child making straightforward choices; he's an adult now.
There's no need to delve too deeply into how adults handle such matters. The desire to grow and evolve isn't something that can be rushed; it requires careful consideration.
At the moment, Hachiman's mind wasn't preoccupied with those thoughts. He was deeply engrossed in thinking about his new book.
With assets just over a billion, he still had a long way to go before reaching his goal of a hundred billion. To achieve this, he planned to embark on a dual writing journey. He would continue updating "Sword Art Online" while simultaneously crafting a new literary work.
The revised "Sword Art Online" had undergone a significant transformation, purged of elements like NTR and strange scenarios. It now featured modified scenes that reduced the excessive hardships faced by the main characters, making it a more refreshing and enjoyable read.
(A/N: "Think of it as Parallel SAO or Fanfic, lol.)
For his upcoming book, Hachiman's goal was to explore the realm of enjoyment. After all, young readers tended to prefer more pleasurable narratives over dark and intricate ones.
Furthermore, when you had established a reputation for creating enjoyable stories, suddenly shifting to a tragic one might lead readers to speculate about traumatic experiences or a split personality.
After careful consideration, he decided to copy from a work that had deeply impacted him in his previous life: "That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime."
In his previous life, this light novel had been considered revolutionary. It introduced the idea of a protagonist from the weakest race in the world of anime and light novels who would eventually become one of the mightiest beings in the realm of 2D storytelling.
It's no exaggeration to say that at least eight out of every ten boys had either read "That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime," or had heard of the novel's name.
The phrase, "Take the hard drive out of my computer at home… Put it in the bath… And make sure it's completely wiped," was known for its humor and often left readers or viewers in stitches. There were also cool phrases like, "In this world, it's eat or be eaten," which had sent shivers down Hachiman's spine when he encountered it in his past life.
While, by today's standards, this light novel might seem somewhat simplistic, the assertion that it was a decade ahead of the industry wasn't unfounded. Despite the current Japanese light novel scene embracing more enjoyable narratives, the concept of a protagonist evolving from a weak race to a powerful one remained unique.
Hachiman had previously attempted to search for "That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime" online, but there was no trace of it, not even information about the author.
This presented a golden opportunity for Hachiman. Given the massive popularity of "That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime" in his previous life, selling at least 40 million copies was entirely plausible. With sales of 40 million copies and the royalties from manga and anime adaptations, he could easily generate billions of yen in revenue.
As Hachiman entertained the idea of strategic financial planning using the "Finance" module, the dream of amassing one billion yen as startup capital no longer appeared as an unattainable goal. With these hopeful thoughts in his mind, his spirits soared, and his steps became lighter.
Yet, just at that moment, his heightened sense of hearing picked up on something unusual.
"Hmm? Is someone... singing?"
A melody wafted through the air, captivating with its melodious tune. Driven by curiosity, Hachiman traced the sound of the singing.
Circling around a cluster of rocks, he eventually came upon the source of the song.
A girl with long, flowing black hair cascading over her shoulders, which accentuated her delicate features and slender figure, stood in a pristine white gown, barefoot in the seawater. At times, her fair thighs and delicate feet were revealed.
Bathed in the silvery moonlight, an ethereal glow enshrouded her, as though she were draped in gossamer, enhancing her already captivating beauty with an otherworldly aura. She resembled nothing short of a celestial being.
Upon witnessing this captivating and enchanting scene, Hachiman wasted no time in retrieving his phone and capturing the moment with a photograph.
However, the sound of the camera's shutter also caught the attention of the girl who had been singing so softly.
"Who's there?!"
Upon hearing the noise, the girl became instantly alert. Her voice carried a chilly, commanding tone, yet underneath it lurked a hint of anxiety and fear.
Realizing that he had been discovered, Hachiman stepped out of the shadows, revealing his presence.
"Yes, it's me, Yukinoshita-san."
The girl who had been singing turned out to be none other than Yukino Yukinoshita herself.
"So, Hikigaya-kun, what brings you here?" With the familiar face of Hachiman before her, Yukino's tense expression began to ease.
"I couldn't sleep, so I decided to take a walk. I heard someone singing and came to investigate. As it turns out, it's Yukinoshita-san."
Hachiman wore a gentle smile as he spoke.
"Are you also having trouble sleeping?" Yukino nodded.
"Is there something you need assistance with, Yukinoshita-san? If you're willing to share, maybe you could tell me," Hachiman suggested.
In response to his words, Yukino lapsed into a brief silence.
Not long ago, her sister, Haruno, had visited her room. Haruno had bluntly told her that her current rebellion against the family was immature, which deeply upset Yukino. They engaged in a heated exchange of words before parting ways.
In Yukino's eyes, her sister was entirely aligned with their mother. From childhood to adulthood, everything in her life had been orchestrated by her mother—what school she attended, even who her friends were. This level of interference had always been a source of irritation for her.
She didn't want to be a mere tool for the family, living solely for their benefit, akin to her mother.
Yukino's desire to rebel clashed with the image of her sister she had always admired. Haruno's words had left her feeling frustrated, so she had come to the beach to clear her thoughts, where she unexpectedly crossed paths with Hachiman.
Seeing Yukino's continued silence, Hachiman recognized that he might have been too forward. They had only met a few times and couldn't be considered close friends, so it wasn't reasonable to expect her to open up about her personal struggles.
"I apologize if I crossed a line. If there are things you can't or don't want to discuss, that's absolutely okay," Hachiman said, giving a slight bow, and then shifted the topic.
"By the way, Yukinoshita-san, your singing was truly beautiful."
"Thank you," Yukino replied with a reserved nod.
"It's getting late. I should head back, and you should get some rest too, Hikigaya-kun," she said before turning to leave.
Watching her as she departed, Hachiman didn't take offense. He understood that someone like Yukino couldn't be easily won over.
He shrugged it off, checked the time, and realized it was getting late. It was time for him to return to his room and get some rest.
With the departure of Hachiman and Yukino, tranquility returned to the beach, and the only sounds that remained were the soothing rhythm of the waves, ebbing and flowing along the shore.
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