Chapter 3
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 3
Chapter Title: If It's Not Rude
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If it's not rude,
How are the novels in this other world?
Honestly, they're pretty good. For one thing, most of them have solid writing chops, at least by any reasonable standard.
By my standards, coming from reading webnovels, some of the phrasing feels a bit dated. But it has its own charm.
It feels like reading a classic masterpiece...
And they're way more detailed than Earth's classic fantasy novels.
There's a big difference between writing based on imagination and writing from direct experience.
One great thing about coming to this other world is that even random novels are of surprisingly high quality.
...
And the downside is that no matter what I pick up, it all feels like something I've read before.
The problem is the material. It all feels like the same stuff recycled over and over.
The genres are limited, and even within a genre, the stories are all pretty similar.
Earth's novels aren't exactly overflowing with fresh ideas either.
But at least they have enough variation to avoid feeling clichéd or boring.
Not here. That's why the first novel I read was the best.
Every now and then—really, very rarely—something different comes along.
Stories with fresh takes and developments you haven't seen around here.
But those don't sell.
Tired of clichéd adventure tales? Try some protagonist misery porn and bad endings!
Sick of dull romance? Here's a mouthful of NTR for you.
And that's not even the worst of it—they'll throw in twists that feel like they're drifting off a cliff.
I'm saying this because I got burned. Damn...
Back then, I couldn't even look at a novel.
It took spending some time learning swordsmanship and magic before I could pick one up again.
The final issue: the books that get high praise in this world... are completely different from what I want.
I like stuff with philosophical depth.
If the content is ordinary, then the expression needs to shine.
I enjoy sentences that don't unravel at a glance, ones you have to mull over to grasp the deeper meaning.
What is this? It's like a college entrance exam literature passage.
What I really like is genre fiction, precisely.
The last time I read pure literature was in high school.
But the clichéd, niche genre novels I'm reading in this world get trashed for being lowbrow.
They'd rather read autobiographies than genre stuff.
...
So I decided to write my own novel. Self-sufficiency, right?
I've tried other things—why not this?
I'll pack it full of my tastes, write the story I want to see.
It probably won't do well. It's the total opposite of what gets praised here.
Won't get published either. My goal will just be to submit a manuscript and see the feedback.
I told Ranyori I was going to try writing a novel.
She laughed and said it was fine to make her the protagonist.
It seemed like she was just tossing it out there... but I'm seriously going to do it.
Coming up with material... it's harder when you're the one writing.
So let's make the protagonist like that. Then build the story around her.
The protagonist is a Cat Beastkin girl.
Her name is Senyora.
Blonde... nah, too similar, so white hair.
"You have to write it well...!"
"Don't worry. I won't put in anything weird."
"That's a given! Stuff it full of good stuff...! Make it up if you have to...!"
"...No, that's not right. It wouldn't be accurate."
"Even if it's a bit unrealistic, better to win them over!"
"I think your real personality is already pretty likable."
"Th-that's...! Thanks, but..."
Oh, her face flushed a little.
"Uh, ahem...! The protagonist's a Beastkin!"
"Yeah."
"So the base is unlikable!"
"Oof..."
Harsh wording... but sadly, it's true.
None of the novels I've read here had Beastkin protagonists.
They were villains at best. And third-rate ones, at that.
Why? Because the main readers—humans—dislike Beastkin.
"Can't you change to a human protagonist even now...?"
"It's just an experiment. If it flops, it flops."
"Ughhh...!"
Yeah, the odds of people hating it just went up, but at least it'll be fresh.
Honestly, I like Beastkin. They're cute.
If they were 70% animal and 30% human... it'd be tough, but they're not.
Even in a fantasy world, I'm tired of all-human stories.
I sat down in a chair and picked up a pen.
Paper? Anything will do. Since this is just practice, I'll recycle the backs of used sheets.
Protagonist decided.
Next up: the material.
First thing that comes to mind is action.
No reason to avoid it. It's a sure bet.
Letters are flowing onto the paper.
I dove right in, writing a scene where the protagonist fights a villain, no setup needed.
No need to start from the beginning. I'll just transcribe the scene in my head.
Ranyori dragged a chair over next to me and sat quietly watching.
Let's give it a shot...
I wrote a decent chunk of an action scene.
And realized its fatal flaw.
"I have no talent for action!"
"...I could tell."
Better to cut a badly written action scene altogether.
I didn't want to know that.
"Screw this! It's an insult to novels!"
"No! Just change direction!"
"I read novels without thinking, but even I'd put this down!"
"That's why we scrap it!"
Damn, total failure.
I suck at action scenes more than I thought.
Ranyori, who's read action to death, shot it down hard.
So no action in my novel...
Tch, that narrows my options even more.
"Narrowing" feels too harsh—it's more like restrictions—but it hurts, so whatever.
"But can you even write without fight scenes...?"
Ranyori said, looking worried.
"Of course. Plenty if you look."
"Maybe... romance?"
"Oh, that's good too."
"For real...?"
"Why not? I'm confident in romance."
Romance is great...
The heroine starts cold, then melts into love for the protagonist.
Not a cliché—it's a classic.
With a female protagonist, I can really dig into her inner thoughts.
"So, you're writing a romance with a protagonist based on me...?"
"Yeah."
"Where she falls in love and gets swept away?"
"...Yeah? Sure."
"Falling for a guy, rolling around hugging a pillow all day, heart pounding! That's what you're writing?"
"? Hold on."
"Holding hands! Hugs! Kisses! And at night... that stuff too! That's what you're writing!"
"No, damn it, hold on, teach."
Something felt off, so I cut her off urgently.
Ranyori was getting all flushed and excited, words tumbling out.
"I didn't say that far, you maniac!"
"It's romance! Of course it'll have that!"
"You can write good romance without it!"
"Ha! Put your hand on your heart! You swear no such scenes at all?"
"Well...!"
If I put my hand on my heart and looked to the sky without shame,
"I'd probably include some..."
"Nyahaha! Nyahat!"
"No, but seriously, I hadn't thought that far. Just figured it'd be okay..."
"Whatever! If the male lead has black hair in your novel, I won't stand for it!"
"Guess I'll ditch romance too..."
Not said in anger.
Talking with Ranyori... it started feeling like I was doing something seriously wrong.
No intent there, but if it feels off, better not.
"Ahem! Ahem!"
A brief silence. I was brainstorming material.
But Ranyori couldn't stand it.
She fake-coughed to get my attention.
"No, what... I was just throwing it out there... You can write romance..."
Her excitement faded, and she spoke with an awkward expression.
"It's based on me, but not really me... I even gave permission..."
"Nah, even I think it's weird now. Anyway, I've settled on material."
"What're you gonna write...?"
Her face full of curiosity, Ranyori leaned in.
I answered flatly.
"Slice of life."
"What's that?"
Hm. Starting from basics, huh.
"Just what it says: the protagonist's daily life."
"...Who'd read that? A Beastkin's daily life, no less!"
"Opposite. People'll read it precisely because it's a Beastkin's."
"Oh...?"
"Honestly, would you read about a human's daily life? It'd be too similar to yours."
Of course, people read human slice-of-life too. That's the genre.
It's about crafting an extraordinary everyday,
or making the ordinary fun.
Too much hassle, so I glossed it as "Beastkin life is novel enough."
Ranyori looked dazed.
Half convinced, but struggling to accept she was convinced.
"Still... our daily life isn't that different..."
"Doesn't matter."
"And it'd make readers uncomfortable..."
"That's actually a plus—"
"What?!"
"...It'll be intriguing."
"What do you mean?"
"Stories of overcoming hardship and trials in a tough life... That's what I mean."
"Hmm..."
This is personal, but... I hate grimdark in novels?
But if the ending's happy, some grimness is fine... that's my take.
Too awkward to say to Ranyori's face, so I fudged it.
She eyed me suspiciously, but what can she do? Just a hunch.
"Sigh..."
She finally relaxed her expression and sighed.
"I know you're not expecting much... But it still worries me..."
"Even if others hate it, as long as I find it fun, it's fine."
"Hm... Okay. Need any help? Want me to get new pens?"
"Nah, nothing like that... Hm..."
"What? Spit it out!"
I was gonna refuse, but realized there was something only Ranyori could help with.
No—something only she could do.
"If it's not rude,
"It's fine! I'll hear you out!"
could you tell me about your past...?"
"Oh, that's really rude."
Figured as much...