The job of a full-time writer is surprisingly packed with tasks.
Of course, the main job is writing, but just sitting alone at home doesn’t magically produce any text.
Even if it’s something light like a light novel, you still need some research.
Let’s assume the protagonist is a teenager. If I write from my adult perspective, nowadays “teenagers” may not resonate with what I’m writing.
Even if there’s only a slight age gap, the experience of a teenager as an adult is vastly different.
So, it’s necessary to gather as much information as possible. I need to look up things online, go to trendy cafes where teens hang out, and eavesdrop on their conversations.
Moreover, I’m not only writing light novels. For the travel guides I write under a different pen name, I need to experience the travels firsthand. It’s not just about going; it’s about figuring out where to have fun and how unique the places can be, which means regularly exploring various spots.
In the end, since writing is my job, it’s not so bad. Writing while I’m soaking in a hot spring feels completely different from sitting in a bustling famous café, and naturally, the mood of what I write changes accordingly.
Above all, having a lot of experiences always helps generate new writing material.
…Yeah, it probably looks super relaxing to others to just write without worrying about money.
Honestly speaking, it is relaxing. How could it not be?
I have no editor in charge of me. I’ve been writing since the early days when the publishing house opened, so I’m pretty close with the founders, Kaoru and Izumi.
Although the staff has increased a bit, “Cat (Neko) Workshop” is still a small publishing house.
By the way, the name of the publishing house comes from “NeKo.” Even though Kaoru’s surname Kaneko (金子) doesn’t mean “cat” at all, the fact that they derived it from that shows just how unique their sense of humor is.
I was wondering if Izumi’s name would be included, but it seems it solidified that way because Izumi adamantly refused to have their name in it.
Well, “Neko Izumi” or “Izumi Neko” would all end up meaning “Cat Izumi,” so it’s understandable they didn’t want that.
You’d think there would be other publishers with overlapping names, but since there isn’t, it seems it’s not a huge issue.
I don’t usually commute much, but I often drop by the publishing house. Sometimes I help out with what needs to be done, and more than anything, it’s convenient to have a direct conversation about how my writing is being edited.
It wasn’t hard for me, a high school student who commuted by train from Saitama to central Tokyo.
“Hey, Koto Ne!”
After spending the morning at a café with my laptop open and leisurely checking the time, Kaoru waved happily at me as I casually showed up at the office after lunchtime.
“You look like you have some sort of request you want to make.”
When I asked without even greeting her, Kaoru had a look of disbelief on her face.
“Well, isn’t it too much to say that right after we meet?”
“Well, whenever you have that expression, it usually means you’re going to send me off somewhere.”
That’s right.
While “travel” serves as a guide purpose, sometimes gathering info on the occult, Kaoru’s preference, is part of the job too. It seems summer special books sell quite well.
“Not that I disagree, but…”
Kaoru was making a somewhat helpless expression, as if unable to refute my words.
I let out a light sigh and walked into the office.
“So, where am I going this time?”
“Ah~ don’t worry, it’s not too far.”
“…How many hours does it take?”
“About three to four hours?”
Four hours?
That vague distance made me tilt my head.
“Kaoru.”
Izumi, who had been diligently working, interjected the conversation.
Just calling her name was enough, but the emotion in their voice made Kaoru flinch.
“Uh, well…”
Kaoru looked a bit guilty before finally saying, “I thought it would be good to visit overseas…”
“Oh? South Korea? Seoul?”
“Eh? How did you know?”
“With a travel time of about four hours, what else would fit the bill?”
And plus, it was Korea.
In fact, I’d thought about going.
Why? Because I speak Korean well. I occasionally watch Korean dramas or movies, and since I can understand them all without subtitles, I should be able to manage over there too.
Of course, having stayed here so long, my accent might have changed a bit, but… well, for now, I’m considered Japanese anyway.
“If you want, you can go with Koko or Kagami. We can arrange that much.”
“Is that really okay?”
“Yeah. Actually, it seems there’s a growing demand for that direction lately.”
I see. Has that time come already?
It’s not yet the 2020s. However, the phase where enthusiasts for Korean content are beginning to emerge overseas is upon us.
It seems tourist numbers are slightly increasing too, so it might be good to prepare a bit in advance.
“Shall we, then?”
I nodded.
After all, the reason I came here today was that I had finished the manuscript. The topics that come up during edits will be informed by the staff, and as long as I have internet, I can fix my manuscript from abroad.
“When should it be?”
“Early in the year. How about January? The end of January seems suitable. It’d be nice to include seasonal content.”
Early in the year. January. It’s not bad. After all, I’m not someone who’s overly concerned about when I go.
As I listened to this, I unconsciously opened my phone, feeling something strange.
After pondering what that strange feeling was, I realized it came from the date displayed on my phone screen.
Specifically, it was the ‘year’ hidden in the status bar.
It’s the end of the year. There’s not much time left until January. It’s not just that I don’t have a passport, but…
I cannot forget the realization.
“…Senpai.”
“Yeah?”
“Could I decide the date for going?”
As I suddenly stiffened, I asked Kaoru, who looked flustered and just blinked at me.
*
This world is different from the one I lived in my previous life.
Many aspects are similar.
Some of the horrific events that happened in the other world also occurred in this one.
Some famous figures from the other world also exist here.
However, I have no way of knowing whether other characters that were not main characters in the light novels exist in this world.
I’ve never been to Korea.
And if I had the chance to go to Korea…
If by coincidence I could be there on exactly the same date…
Maybe.
“Koto Ne.”
“Huh?”
I was jolted back to reality by Koko’s voice next to me.
The weather was far colder than in Japan, and unlike Tokyo, it was snowing heavily.
The snow-covered scenery was even more beautiful than I expected.
Unfortunately, there wasn’t much time to enjoy that beauty. Today wasn’t the last day, so after today, things would probably be fine.
To be honest, I might have preferred to pass by without knowing.
“What happened this morning? You’ve been walking around here since we arrived…”
Kagami tilted her head and asked.
“Oh, that’s…”
I couldn’t quite explain it properly.
Over the years, we’ve shared many stories.
I’ve shared bits about my previous life… Both of them, including Yuka, didn’t react intensely. They simply brushed it off as something I experienced.
It made sense; after all, we’ve fought to get rid of outsiders, so what would it mean to worry about such things now?
However, finding my past life in this world is a different story.
Kagami is my mother.
Koko is my little sister.
But looking for those family members here…
Koko and Kagami stared at me intently, as if they had realized something.
Yet neither of them brought it up.
In fact, Koko might have sensed it a bit more acutely. Since a part of my sister’s soul once temporarily resided in Koko’s body in this world.
We walked in silence.
I couldn’t hear the detailed story from that time, and I didn’t know where and how my family was just before they moved to Tokyo.
But if only even once, if I could hold onto them for a moment…
So, if I could stay just a little longer in that spot…
Then—couldn’t someone in this world be saved?
Despite it being perfectly reasonable for Koko and Kagami to feel discontent with me silently wandering around the tourist spots all day from the morning, they followed me without a word.
In the past few years, I haven’t shown such fervent reactions to anything.
And then…
“…Oh.”
I saw a silhouette.
It was a young girl who looked like she had just graduated high school.
In this world, not a single piece of evidence exists that could draw me back. There are no photos or videos at all.
But still, I could recognize the three of them.
My pace quickened, and I felt the two of them follow me more quickly behind.
Having approached the girl, whose back I could barely see, I opened my mouth.
“Excuse me…”
The girl turned around.
I noticed a watch on her wrist blinking subtly.
“Yeah?”
The girl looked surprised. It was then I remembered I had addressed her in Japanese.
My little sister wasn’t the type to like anime or manga like I did.
But the vivacious girl who loved to travel around and make new friends wouldn’t turn down a foreigner who spoke to her.
After a brief moment of contemplation, I continued.
“Could I ask for directions to Daereungwon?”
The girl looked genuinely startled.
I realized my accent had deteriorated a bit since I hadn’t spoken Korean in years.
But perhaps that’s why the girl seemed genuinely interested in what I said.
“Oh! I just came from there a little while ago!”
Her face brightened up.
“Mom! Dad!”
The girl turned to her parents and called out.
Catching a glimpse of her parents’ faces, I held my breath for a moment.
“Can I go guide them for a bit?”
“Uh, well…”
The girl’s father checked the time and nodded.
Seeing that, I clenched my fist.
Could I manage?
Could it be okay?
*
That girl was truly kind.
Not only did she guide us, but she also introduced us to good photo spots inside, eagerly explaining where we might find something for dinner and what would be good to eat.
I nodded along as I wrote everything down.
In fact, half of the places the girl mentioned as restaurants were ones I had already been to or researched beforehand.
But if I ended it by saying “I know,” that would be awkward.
These three would be going home after all.
Most importantly, that time was precious, and maybe the girl might never be seen again. No, it would probably be difficult to see her again.
Since I decided to live as a person in this world, I have a life too.
I have my family, and I can’t cling to past family—no, other families in this world.
So, how we spent that time—one hour.
We managed to stretch it out for a whole hour.
Even if we started now, we wouldn’t make it “there on time.”
“…Thank you so much.”
“Oh, no! I had fun too. Now that you’ve come, you should enjoy it!”
The girl smiled while scratching her head.
That grin was radiant.
“Are you heading back to Seoul?”
“Oh, yes. I originally had a dinner appointment with my older brother but I’m running late…”
“They’ll probably wait for you.”
“My older brother might sulk a bit.”
But at least not today.
He probably won’t be eating dinner for various reasons.
…Should I have stopped the accident?
Should I have done more of what I could?
Yet, with Koko and Kagami here, I didn’t want to take risks.
Moreover, that’s something I couldn’t change anyway.
It’s a big dump truck. Even if Koko and I try to stop it, we’d definitely have to bear the impact. And now, we have no way to be certain how much we can recover from a big hit. We’ve used up all our strength.
There might be a way to recover if I can gain weight, but I’m not sure…
And… maybe.
Just maybe, if a car hadn’t been in between… a lot could change.
There was a large van in front of the car my family was in.
It might have sustained some damage due to the impact too, but nobody inside died.
Neither did the cars before it.
So, maybe it could pass without a major disaster.
That might all be an attempt to convince myself though.
I wasn’t a hero.
And this family wasn’t my family.
They were just another family that resembled my own from a different world.
I can’t control everything in this world, and I can’t compare every single thing.
So what I can do is change only the parts that I can change securely.
And perhaps this would be the last.
“Then enjoy your journey!”
“Thank you.”
I bowed, and the girl waved to us while her parents slightly nodded and got into their car.
Then, the vehicle pulled away.
Against the backdrop of the white, snow-covered neighborhood, I watched the car move far away for a long time.
“…”
Kagami stayed by my side for a moment before gradually reaching out to hug me.
Koko joined in for the embrace as well.
I remained standing silently, looking in the direction the car had disappeared for quite a while.
*
*
*
“You’ve been through a lot.”
A sturdy young man said, grabbing a piece of meat and putting it in his mouth.
“A lot of injuries, and the car is severely damaged. There were pieces scattered everywhere.”
The young man swallowed the meat and exhaled deeply.
“Still, as long as everyone was just injured, we were lucky. If there had been a car under that truck…”
“Oh dear, my son worked hard.”
The young man’s mother mentioned as she placed some meat on his plate.
“So that’s why the road was so congested.”
The girl said with a slightly blank expression.
“Better late than never, right?”
The young man sighed.
That probably wouldn’t have happened, but if they had left a little later…
“Why were you late?”
“Oh, well, a Japanese tourist asked for directions.”
The girl frowned as if her mouth itched to say more. The young man stared at her intently.
“Were you working?”
“No, it was a girl.”
“Was she pretty?”
“What kind of question is that?”
“I mean, you said it was a girl.”
“She was pretty, but… she looked like a twin… or maybe a sister? Whatever it was, she seemed related.”
“Oh, what? She was really pretty?”
“It’s not that important. Listen, that person spoke Korean superbly—”
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