Read or Die:Volume1 Chapter1 - Revision history

Alekazzandre: /* Chapter 1: The Two Sensei */

2025-07-10T18:50:30Z

Chapter 1: The Two Sensei

Alekazzandre: /* Chapter 1: The Two Sensei */

2025-07-10T18:32:34Z

Chapter 1: The Two Sensei

← Older revision		Revision as of 18:32, 10 July 2025
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	There were even letters that claimed Nenene’s novels were actually stolen from the sender’s own mind. According to them, they’d planned to write the exact same story themselves, but Nenene had somehow overheard their thoughts and published the idea as her own.		There were even letters that claimed Nenene’s novels were actually stolen from the sender’s own mind. According to them, they’d planned to write the exact same story themselves, but Nenene had somehow overheard their thoughts and published the idea as her own.
			<!-- p97 -->

			“If you don’t immediately cease writing, I’ll consider filing a lawsuit.”

			She’d actually received a letter that said that—word for word. It was so absurd she couldn’t help but laugh.

			Then there was the time she set a story in the near future and got a phone call from someone claiming to know the characters. When her editor asked where the call was coming from, the person on the line said:

			“A-Sa-Ke-Tani.”

			Philosophically baffling, to say the least.

			A thirty-five-year-old man once insisted he had to marry her because she was his destined younger wife. She was fourteen at the time. Her father—understandably disturbed—let the editor handle him. (The man was eventually paid off and disappeared.)

			There were others too. People who tracked down her address and sent letters directly. Some even dug into her family registry, trying to gather info to reach her.

			Because of that, her parents had moved, she’d relocated to a new apartment, and her name had been omitted from phone books. Things had been relatively quiet since.

			Not that she was proud of it—but she had plenty of experience dealing with stalkers.

	== Notes ==		== Notes ==

Alekazzandre: /* Chapter 1: The Two Sensei */

2025-07-10T18:31:14Z

Chapter 1: The Two Sensei

← Older revision		Revision as of 18:31, 10 July 2025
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	“Sumiregawa-sensei, you don’t have to do a thing. I’ll take care of it.”		“Sumiregawa-sensei, you don’t have to do a thing. I’ll take care of it.”
			<!-- p96 -->

			“…Take care of what?"

			Yomiko grinned sheepishly, pinching the letter between her fingers.

			“I just want to catch this person and make sure they don’t bother you anymore, Sensei.”

			It was a remarkably plain statement; so simple, in fact, that Nenene had to reprocess it to confirm what she'd just said and then groaned.

			“Listen. Like I told you back in the library. This guy is just some delusional nutcase with a crush. Total creep, totally obsessed.”

			“Well then, all the more reason to bring him to justice, right? Otherwise, he’ll just keep stalking you.”

			“Do you really think logic’s gonna work on someone like this? With this level of obsession? Get real.”

			For Nenene, this kind of commotion wasn’t anything new.

			From when she debuted at age three, to now as a currently active student author with that label plastered everywhere, she’d gained a lot of fans over time. Which meant, naturally, she also had a lot of weird fans. More than your average writer, in fact.

			Each week, she received over a hundred fan letters.

			Most of them were the usual stuff; reactions to her books, personal updates, that kind of thing. Ordinary, boring fan mail.

			But some of them? Went way off the rails. Some were on A4 paper typed perfectly in size 24 font, just full-page rants.

			Some described magic spells and secret cult messages like they were writing a novel.

			Some used strange characters or esoteric codes—like ancient weapons would activate just from reading the keywords.

			It wasn’t just weird—it was dangerous. And what was she even supposed to do with that kind of mail?

			There were even letters that claimed Nenene’s novels were actually stolen from the sender’s own mind. According to them, they’d planned to write the exact same story themselves, but Nenene had somehow overheard their thoughts and published the idea as her own.

	== Notes ==		== Notes ==

Alekazzandre: /* Chapter 1: The Two Sensei */

2025-07-10T18:26:09Z

Chapter 1: The Two Sensei

← Older revision		Revision as of 18:26, 10 July 2025
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	Nenene coughed to clear the air, which was filled with a vague sense of humor.		Nenene coughed to clear the air, which was filled with a vague sense of humor.
			<!-- p95 -->

			“Well, it's okay. That kind of thing. The point is, the problem is that guy.”

			“Ah, right.”

			At Nenene’s words, Yomiko pulled a stack of envelopes from her coat pocket—the ones she’d picked up from the post downstairs. These were the letters shoved into Nenene’s mailbox. She’d gathered them all and brought them along. Nenene had grumbled and argued about letting her up into the apartment, but in truth, it was this that had convinced her.

			The long rectangular table was now covered in white envelopes. To someone who didn’t know better, it might have looked like a game of high-stakes poker.

			“All in all, there were 219,” Yomiko said. “All of them the same kind of envelope.”

			Even as a prank, the number was bizarre. There were no return addresses. Nenene stared at them again, a deep, unsettling chill crawling up her spine.

			“What kind of idiot… seriously… should I call the cops?”

			“That might not be so easy,” Yomiko said, her voice level and calm. “This person never sends anything but letters.”

			“Why didn’t you say that earlier? Then what should I do?”

			“You don’t need to do anything.”

			“…What?”

			Yomiko’s unexpected answer clearly threw Nenene off.

			“Sumiregawa-sensei, you don’t have to do a thing. I’ll take care of it.”

	== Notes ==		== Notes ==

Alekazzandre: /* Chapter 1: The Two Sensei */

2025-07-10T18:24:36Z

Chapter 1: The Two Sensei

← Older revision		Revision as of 18:24, 10 July 2025
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	“Then how do you find out about the latest fashions, hot spots, and events? Oh, from magazines?”		“Then how do you find out about the latest fashions, hot spots, and events? Oh, from magazines?”
			<!-- p94 -->

			“Yeah, I read those sometimes, but they're hard to remember. I just prefer reading books. ... Oh, but I always wear the same clothes, and when I go out, I only go to bookstores and used bookstores, and the only events I'm interested in are used book fairs, so I'm fine without it.”

			“You mean you really wear the same outfit all the time!?”

			“That coat!?”

			“Well… I do have multiple coats, shirts, ties, and skirts… but they’re all the same design, so people often think I’m always wearing the same thing.”

			“Why!? Don’t you want to dress up or anything!?”

			“I don’t.”

			“You should! You're a girl!”

			“A girl...?”

			It was probably just the force of her words, but Nenene's words made Yomiko's cheeks relax.

			“It's been a while since someone said that to me...”

			She grinned, her face falling into a slovenly expression. It was unclear what memories were coming back to her.

			"I'll take back what I just said. Not a girl, but ‘sort of a woman’."

			Yomiko let out a disappointed voice at Nenene's cold correction.

			“...Um, I'm not just a woman, I'm a woman in every sense of the word...”

			She was probably referring to gender.

			Nenene coughed to clear the air, which was filled with a vague sense of humor.

	== Notes ==		== Notes ==

Alekazzandre: /* Chapter 1: The Two Sensei */

2025-07-10T18:22:28Z

Chapter 1: The Two Sensei

← Older revision		Revision as of 18:22, 10 July 2025
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	“You read novels and manga, right? For people our age, living alone is heaven. There are no curfews, no nagging, and no need to worry about anything. We can play as much as we want."		“You read novels and manga, right? For people our age, living alone is heaven. There are no curfews, no nagging, and no need to worry about anything. We can play as much as we want."
			<!-- p93 -->

			“But, um, what about family gatherings?”

			Nenene looked taken aback by the sudden question.

			“Family gatherings? Do you think those still exist these days?”

			“No? Like when your dad flips the table, or when you're watching TV with your mom and there's a kissing scene and it gets awkward?”

			Was it just her knowledge, or was it a misconception? Yomiko's example was far from the definition of family time.

			“...How old are you?”

			“I'm 25.”

			Many women dislike talking about their age, but Yomiko answered without hesitation.

			"Even so, you should know a little more about the world. This isn't some old manga. Don't you watch TV?"

			“I don't have a TV at home.”

			This came as a surprise to Nenene.

			“Why not?”

			“I read books all the time when I'm at home, so I don't really need one...”

			“Then how do you find out about the latest fashions, hot spots, and events? Oh, from magazines?”

	== Notes ==		== Notes ==

Alekazzandre: /* Chapter 1: The Two Sensei */

2025-07-10T18:20:56Z

Chapter 1: The Two Sensei

← Older revision		Revision as of 18:20, 10 July 2025
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	“What are you doing?”		“What are you doing?”
			<!-- p92 -->

			Nenene’s voice came from behind.

			She had returned from down the hallway, now changed into a beige sweater and a moss green pleated skirt.

			A casual, comfortable outfit—perfect for relaxing.

			“I see… are your parents still working, then? Probably?”

			“Work is work, you know.”

			“About what time do they usually come home? I mean, I should at least say hello.”

			“Who knows when they'll come back? Isn’t it usually around New Year’s?”

			“…Huh?”

			Nenene leaned back against the sofa, stretched her legs out like she was airing them, and let out a long sigh. A faint trace of exhaustion from work drifted up like a scent and filled the room.

			“They’ve been stationed in America for the past two years. My dad and my step— I mean, my mom too.”

			That pause on “stepmother” came with a delicate nuance.

			“They’re both working for some company over there, doing computer development or whatever.”

			Her tone was indifferent, but it left behind an unmistakable sense of distance.

			“So then… you’re living alone?”

			“I wanted to go to high school here. It was also for work.”

			By “work,” she clearly meant writing.

			“I think I read that in an interview somewhere…”

			As she said that, Yomiko settled into the seat across from Nenene.

			“You didn’t say you were lonely or anything. It’s kind of…”

			“Annoying.”

			“I see… but still, don’t you ever get lonely?”

			“What bothers me is when people assume I do.”

			“It's annoying when people think that way.”

			Nenene pursed her lips as if she was upset. It wasn't her true feelings, but rather a pose she was putting on.

			“You read novels and manga, right? For people our age, living alone is heaven. There are no curfews, no nagging, and no need to worry about anything. We can play as much as we want."

	== Notes ==		== Notes ==

Alekazzandre: /* Chapter 1: The Two Sensei */

2025-07-10T18:19:00Z

Chapter 1: The Two Sensei

← Older revision		Revision as of 18:19, 10 July 2025
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	“Oh my.”		“Oh my.”

	It was a photo of the Sumiregawa family. It looked like she had still been in elementary school, but there was a young, cheerful looking Nenene, hair already sticking out in the back, smiling and holding hands with a man who was apparently her father and a women who looked to be her mother.		It was a photo of the Sumiregawa family. It looked like she had still been in elementary school, but there was a young, cheerful looking Nenene, hair already sticking out in the back, smiling and holding hands with a man who was apparently her father and a women who looked to be her mother.<!-- p91 -->

			A pure, innocent smile typical of childhood. Yomiko squinted, looking closer at some of the other, similar photos, and noticed something odd. The family pictures could be broadly divided into two types. One showed the family centered around Nenene. The other showed just the man and woman—without Nenene. There were no photos of just Nenene and her father. Or just Nenene and her mother, but the photo of just the man and woman… the woman in that picture was clearly not the same woman from the other photos.

			Someone else stood beside the man. Someone who, from the way she leaned in, was clearly close to him. And not the woman who’d appeared earlier with young Nenene.

			“………………”

			A different wife, maybe? Two different family portraits, decorating the shelf like pieces in a game of spot-the-difference.

			“What are you doing?”

	== Notes ==		== Notes ==
	1: The line she's quoting here is the very first bit of Natsume Souseki's classic novel <i>[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Am_a_Cat I am a Cat]</i>.		1: The line she's quoting here is the very first bit of Natsume Souseki's classic novel <i>[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Am_a_Cat I am a Cat]</i>.

Alekazzandre: /* Chapter 1: The Two Sensei */

2025-07-07T17:18:03Z

Chapter 1: The Two Sensei

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Alekazzandre: /* Chapter 1: The Two Sensei */

2025-07-07T17:09:27Z

Chapter 1: The Two Sensei

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