"Is that all? What happens next?" Lu Wei smacked his lips as he looked at the last panel of the manga featuring Satella.
He felt a bit unsatisfied. At the end of the second chapter, the door of Felt and Old Man Rom's shop suddenly opened, revealing Satella's figure, and then the story ended. This cliffhanger left Lu Wei feeling uneasy.
But he had to admit, Subaru was the most... well, shameless manga protagonist he had ever seen. Yelling for guards, police, and help when in danger wasn't a problem. However, no typical manga protagonist would do that, would they?
Subaru seemed pretty dumb too. The sword saint Reinhard who saved him seemed really strong. Given the title "sword saint," any novel reader would know such a character is usually very powerful.
So why didn't Subaru just take Reinhard to the shop to deal with that gut-loving woman? Why didn't he ask for help?
However, the idea was brilliant.
The protagonist was an ordinary otaku who unexpectedly arrived in another world, hoping to gain superpowers and become a hero. Unfortunately, he had nothing. Instead, he ended up in the wrong place, getting robbed by thugs.
This was completely different from the usual tropes, making it fresh and intriguing.
He met the heroine, and they completed a side quest to help a little girl. As the heroine's favorability increased, the atmosphere changed. Both the protagonist and the heroine died... and the concept of death loops began.
This plot kept unfolding layer by layer, making it impossible to look away.
Especially after reading so many overpowered protagonist stories, seeing one where the protagonist grows step by step felt refreshing.
As more people finished reading this issue, discussions about the two new works grew.
Especially following the recent Ultraman event, many people paid more attention to Picca, a company with such positive energy.
Picca's star, the Porter, was a focal point.
The first work, "Fate/Zero," was easier to talk about. Though it altered some historical figures, it wasn't unusual in this age to see modified historical and mythological backgrounds.
After all, this world had "Black Myth: Wukong," which portrayed a different Journey to the West. So, making King Arthur a woman wasn't unacceptable.
But "Re:Zero - Starting Life in Another World" had more polarized comments.
"This manga has such a big idea! There are so many save-point games, but it seems there's never been such an ability in a manga before!"
"Exactly, creativity comes from real life. Many mangas follow clichés. They should learn more from the Porter!"
"Damn it, I want to sue the Porter for cover fraud!!! I came for the two maids, but suddenly my wife Satella took over the scene?"
"Ridiculous! Satella is clearly my wife!!"
"Since you guys are choosing Satella, I'll take Felt."
"Hey, don't you think that gut-slicing woman is quite beautiful? She's got the curves and a well-endowed body. I think that's a perfect childbearing figure!"
"Right, right, I agree! The Porter really gets it. Such a figure shouldn't wear too conservative and loose clothes, and he gave her an outfit that all perverts would love!"
Thus, the discussion veered off-topic, from childbearing figures to clothes, then to legs and stockings.
Of course, with praise comes criticism.
"This protagonist is so dumb. It took him three tries to figure out he had a save-point ability? Come on, if it were me, I'd have figured it out on the first try!"
"Too much time spent on middle-school fantasies."
"I'm seriously annoyed. I wanted to relax with a manga after work, but this protagonist is such a loser? Dying so many times right at the start? Why am I even reading this?"
This work, no matter the world, would attract many haters.
In Ren's past life, this series was also very popular but had plenty of haters.
Especially from episode 13 of the anime, haters began their tirade, which continued until episode 25 ended. They never stopped attacking this series.
However, thanks to those haters, the hype among other anime fans, and the show's high quality, "Re:Zero" became famous, reaching a billion views.
The same happened in this world.
Readers who weren't originally interested in Picca saw the starkly divided comments online and became curious.
Phrases like "most tragic protagonist," "loser protagonist," and "save points" caught their attention, prompting them to buy the series. After reading, they too formed opposing views, expanding the number of comments.
---
Elementary School.
"Xi Xi, you're here! I was so worried about you! Was it tough these past few days?"
Yueyue rushed to her little friend Xi Xi, happily chatting away. She had been really bored without Xi Xi these past few days.
Usually, she could pass notes to Xi Xi during class, but with Xi Xi absent, she couldn't chat. While she could pass notes to other friends, they were too far away, and she was afraid the teacher would see.
If the teacher saw, her parents would find out she was passing notes in class! Yueyue was a good girl and never did such things!
"Well..." Xi Xi didn't look too bothered by her illness. Instead, she thought for a moment, cupping her face with her hands and recalling, "Though coughing a lot and feeling weak was tough... it was also really nice."
()
"Huh? Tough but nice? What do you mean?" Yueyue was puzzled.
Being sick is tough, so how could it be nice too?
"Because... I could lie in bed and do nothing~~ And I got to eat lots of yummy food without doing homework~~ Hehe, my mom made osmanthus cake, and it was so good~~ She usually says it's too sweet and doesn't make it for me~~" Xi Xi's face lit up with happiness at the memory of the osmanthus cake.
Her words resonated with the other kids gathered around.
"Yeah, when I'm sick, I get to eat lots of good food too~~"
"Me too, I get chicken soup~~"
Hearing her friends, Yueyue froze. Her mind filled with thoughts of yummy food and no homework. She mumbled, "Being sick sounds pretty good..."
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